Shallow Waters
by ravengal
Summary: When Buneary meets up with Pikachu again in Unova, she thinks it's time to confess her feelings! However, problems occur. It seems the mouse still has many issues he needs to work out first. What could possibly be wrong with him?
1. Rapturous Reunion

Author's note: Hey there, guys and gals!

While working on 'Neo ITOD', as I call it, I came up with this story on the side. Just so you know, it has no relation whatsoever to A Gracious Gift, so you can hopefully enjoy these two stories separately! Pikachu and Buneary are even completely different, too!

Also, VGS2 has graciously allowed me to use alliteration in my chapter titles, just like in his fic, Girl Troubles! Which will eventually be getting a reboot, so look forward to that in the future, peeps.

All the aside, I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

P.S. This fic has had so many rewrites, it's honestly kind of ridiculous... XD

* * *

 **Chapter One** **: Rapturous Reunion**

"Come on out and say hi to everyone!" Dawn cried out.

Immediately, Buneary felt herself being pulled out of her pokéball. Ooh! New people to meet! How exciting! Maybe those mystery people that Dawn had alluded to were finally here!

They'd been hanging around the villa of Sinnoh Champion Cynthia and her butler, Jervis, to watch the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, but this was nice, too!

Wanting to make a bit of a show out of her grand entrance, she closed her eyes. Once she materialised on the ground next to her five teammates, she smiled and lifted her arms in greeting.

"(Hi there!)" she said, along with everyone else.

Opening her eyes and lowering her arms, she looked around at all the surrounding pokémon. Wow! There were so many species she didn't recognise! So these were Unova pokémon, huh? She could see a crocodile, a pig, a mole, a crab, an otter, a snake and... The world suddenly stopped. Was that Pikachu?!

She felt her heart hammer against her ribcage as her teammates went off to mingle. Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Oh gosh! There he was. Her golden angel of handsomeness!

Wow! It had been so long! She wanted to go over and give him a great big cuddle, but she was nervous. Super duper nervous. Did he even remember her? It hadn't been all that long ago since they'd seen each other, right? Just a few weeks? Or was it months? It certainly hadn't been years.

She was about to burst from her excitement. Gripping her fluff in her paws, she squealed in delight. Still far too nervous, though, she quickly hopped behind Mamoswine's leg to hide.

Peering around it, she put one paw to her mouth. Wow. He hadn't changed at all! Well, she didn't know why she'd expected him to change, but all the same! He was still the same super attractive mouse he'd always been!

Ooh, what would she even say to him? She'd gone over so many different scenarios in her head in their time apart, but they all seemed to be escaping her now! Gosh darn it!

She wondered how much had changed in her absence. What had he been doing while she'd been having her photo shoot in Sinnoh? Or winning contest ribbons in Hoenn? Had he been thinking about her as much as she'd been thinking about him?

Oh gosh! What if, now that they were in Unova to watch the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, he'd finally realised how she felt about him?! It certainly would have taken long enough! She'd tried not to be too subtle about it, but, around him, it was sometimes hard to think straight. Okay, it was always hard to think straight around that handsome face, but she tried her best.

... Plus, Pikachu was a teensy-tiny bit slow on the uptake. How long did you have to nuzzle a guy before he noticed you liked him, anyway?

Then again, he wasn't even acknowledging her presence right now, so maybe he'd forgotten about her...?

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears pricked and he turned in her direction. Her heart stopped as their eyes met.

"(Hey!)" he said, smiling and waving. "(Buneary!)"

Her smile stretched all the way across her face. Well, scratch that thought! He clearly remembered! That was certainly deserving of a nuzzle!

Grabbing her fluff, she made her way over to him, then leaned against him.

"(Heyyyy~)" she replied.

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Hi...)"

His fur was so soft and he was so warm. She kept her eyes closed, revelling in the feeling. It was like swimming in a sea of warmth and happiness.

"Aww~!" the female human who wasn't Dawn said. "So this little one likes Pikachu~!"

She most certainly did!

"Isn't that sweet?" the male human who wasn't Ash replied.

Sweeter than a pecha berry! Or maybe even a mago berry!

"(Uh, yeah...)" Pikachu said with another awkward chuckle.

Her thoughts trailed off as the humans continued to talk. Something, something, Junior Cup. Eh, wasn't important.

She envisioned Pikachu nuzzling her back. Returning her affection. Maybe, if she nuzzled him hard enough, her feelings would transfer through their skin like osmosis! Or something.

... Wait, what did Dawn just say? They weren't just going to watch Cynthia battle in the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, but actually enter it themselves?

Opening her eyes, she saw Piplup approaching. She moved away from Pikachu slightly - only slightly, though! - and smiled at her teammate.

"(Really?!)" she asked.

Piplup put his flippers to his hips. "(Yep!)" he replied. "(Surprise!)"

"(Cool!)" Pikachu said.

Wow, they really were going to enter? That was pretty cool! It wasn't Dawn's thing to do this normally, but hey. It might be fun to try something new. Plus, it would be a great way to show off her new move to Pikachu! Ooh, she was getting so excited now!

"(You again!)" Mamoswine suddenly cried out, startling her.

Glancing upwards, she could sense a strange presence near Ash's head. As could Pikachu and Piplup, judging by their equally surprised reactions.

"(She's back!)" Pikachu said.

"(She?)" Buneary asked.

"(Who is it?)" Piplup asked.

After some friendly coaxing from Ash, a floating pokémon materialised near Dawn's face, scaring the coordinator half to death. In turn, the strange pokémon flew behind Ash in fear.

As Dawn introduced herself and the pokémon waved at her, Buneary couldn't help but smile. Huh. Meloetta was her name? She was awfully pretty.

"(Woooow!)" Piplup suddenly screeched. Startled, Buneary jumped closer to Pikachu. "(She's the prettiest pokémon I've ever seen!)"

She blinked at the love-struck expression on the penguin's face. Huh. A new crush was apparently on the horizon! Hopefully, it'd go better than the one he'd had on Marill.

After some more coaxing, Meloetta flew close to the ground. The pokémon all gathered around her.

"(Hello there!)" she said.

"(Hi, Meloetta!)" they all replied.

Huh. Now that Buneary looked at her, what could she classify her as? A human-like thing? A floating human-like thing? A floating human-like thing covered in musical notes?

Wait, was her hair a music sheet? And were those dots along it?

Wow, it reminded her of the musical they'd been to watch in Nimbasa City recently! There had been so many pretty songs and costumes and it'd been so much fun to watch.

... Hmm. Now that she thought about it, she wondered if someone could play a song with the notes in Meloetta's hair. Ooh, what if it was a serenade? One that Pikachu could sing to her when confessing his feelings?! That would be the best day ever.

Speaking of Pikachu, all of his attention seemed to be focused on Meloetta right now.

"(So, Meloetta,)" he said, waving his arms to indicate everyone around him, "(these are all my friends from Sinnoh and Unova!)"

"(Nice to meet you all,)" she said with a smile.

"(Nice to meet you, too!)" everyone replied.

"(See?)" Pikachu said. "(They're not scary at all!)"

"(Yes, I see now!)" Meloetta replied. "(So sorry, everyone!)"

"(That's okay!)" everyone replied.

"(And, everyone, this is Meloetta,)" Pikachu continued. "(She's a legendary.)"

"(A legendary?!)" they all asked in awe.

Meloetta giggled. "(Oh, you flatter me!)" she said.

"(Well, it's true, isn't it?)" Pikachu asked.

"(I prefer 'mythical pokémon', to be honest.)"

"(So cool!)" Pachirisu said.

Huh. Pikachu sure was trying hard to make Meloetta feel better! He always was fond of keeping the peace. Hopefully, he hadn't forgotten she was here, though. She'd have to remind him soon, just in case!

"(I agree!)" Piplup said, attracting Meloetta's attention. "(It makes you seem majestic and mysterious.)"

Leaving Piplup to his flirting, Buneary turned back to Pikachu.

"(Hee!)" Pachirisu said. "(She seems nice!)"

"(Yeah, she is,)" Pikachu replied. "(She's very shy, though.)"

Buneary was about to interject, but Pachirisu accidentally cut her off.

"(No kidding! Where did you even meet her, huh?)"

"(We first met her at Pokéstar Studios... but she didn't stick around for long. We met her properly when Cynthia almost ran her over.)"

Pachirisu gasped. "(No way!)"

"(Yeah.)"

Aha! Was that an opening?

Buneary opened her mouth again, ready to interject with a comment of her own, when a sudden commotion from nearby distracted her.

Glancing over at the source of the noise, she could see something going on with Piplup and the white otter, like they were having a fight or something. Everyone's attention was focused on them.

She pouted. Of course they had to ruin the moment...

* * *

Sometime after Piplup and the white otter had sorted out whatever their issue was, Buneary was really hoping to spend more time with Pikachu. After all, they had so much to talk about! Friends, adventures, feelings...

Unfortunately, he jumped on Ash's shoulder, preventing any such thing. Then, since Dawn and the green-haired guy had decided to battle, most of the pokémon got recalled into their pokéballs.

Well, she could always talk to him later!

* * *

Eventually, all the pokémon - including the three that Cynthia had - were called out again to eat dinner. One that the green-haired guy had prepared. Buneary had never eaten his food before, so she was interested to see if it would match up to Brock's usual standard!

Taking the bowl next to Pikachu's, she smiled brightly in his direction. He smiled back.

Turning back to her food, she picked up a pellet and took her first bite. Once the taste hit her tongue, she immediately swooned. Wow, it was delicious! It was like every flavour mixed into one! A perfect blend of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and dry! She blinked as she realised how much she sounded like the green-haired guy. What was his name again? Siren?

"(Aww, I really wanted to battle Dawn...)" Pikachu griped as he nibbled on a pellet.

"(Oh, well, 'no need to worry', as she'd say!)" Buneary replied. "(I'm sure you'll get to battle her soon!)" She punched the air in front of her. "(Then you can show her the ol' one-two!)"

"(Yeah...)" After a moment, Pikachu pulled a face at the pellet in his paws.

Buneary blinked. "(Hmm? What's wrong? Do you not like the pellets?)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh. "(They're alright... apart from the dry aftertaste.)" He stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"(Oh yeah, you don't like that, huh?)"

"(Nope.)"

She bit into another pellet, chewing it carefully to experience its full palate of flavours. Earthy. Tangy. Sugary. Hot. Chalky. As it rolled around her tongue, she swooned again in pure bliss. Making a noise of contentment, she swallowed it.

"(Oh, but it's sooo goooood~)"

Pikachu gave her a light smirk of amusement. "(Heh. Must be nice liking all flavours.)"

She beamed back at him. "(It sure is~!)" She giggled. "(So! How's Unova been, anyway?)"

"(Pretty good, thanks! Lots of gym battles and crazy rivals. Heh. How was the photo shoot?)"

"(It was great! I got splashed all over the Poké Chic magazine! The 'hot up-and-coming star' they called me!)" She smiled brightly. "(Pity I'm not a fire-type, or I'd be really hot! What would they call me then? The super hot up-and-coming star?)"

Pikachu huffed in amusement. "(Maybe.)" He paused a moment. "(So where'd Dawn go after that?)"

"(To Hoenn! She has four ribbons at the moment! We're waiting on lucky number five~!)"

"(Well, I'm sure you'll get it.)"

"(Hee~!)" She winked at him. "(With you cheering me on, how can I fail?)"

Pikachu's smile turned embarrassed. "(Is that so?)"

She giggled, lifting another delicious pellet to her mouth. "(Yep! You're my lucky charm!)"

"(Heh, thanks...)"

She nibbled on the pellet with much gusto. "(Nuh pruhblem!)"

* * *

The following day, everyone was eating breakfast. As Buneary ate next to Pikachu, she could hear the humans discussing the day ahead nearby. She glanced over in mild intrigue.

"So," Dawn said, "who are you guys gonna use in the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup?"

... Seriously, that tournament name was way too long, Buneary thought as she nibbled on a pellet. If she'd been in charge, she'd have called the tournament something short, sweet and snappy! Like 'the PWT', maybe. Or 'the WT'. Or maybe just 'the T'. No, maybe that was too short...

"No idea..." Ash replied.

"How many rounds will there be?"

"Four, Miss Dawn," Jervis replied, "and the winner may have the honour of battling the Unova champion."

"Awesome!" Ash replied. He clenched his fists, grinning. "I'm so psyched!"

"And how many pokémon can we use?" Dawn asked.

"Only one per round," Jervis replied, "but anywhere up to five, in total."

"Hmm..." Siren said, "so, theoretically, we could use one pokémon for the entire tournament?"

"You could," Cynthia replied. "I've certainly done it before with Garchomp."

"Really?" Ash asked excitedly. "Wow, then I'm gonna use five different pokémon!" He paused in thought. "Though which ones to use..."

Ilus - was that her name? - glanced at Siren with an exasperated smile. "Pity we've only got three pokémon each, huh?" she said.

"Yes," Siren replied with a smile of his own, "but the best recipes don't always require the most ingredients." He gave a wink to round off his statement.

Ilus blinked in surprise. After a moment, she sighed with a smile. "I guess that's true."

"Hmm..." Cynthia said. "If you two only have three pokémon, then how about Ash and Dawn train theirs in pairs?"

"In pairs?" Dawn asked.

"A marvellous idea, madam!" Jervis said. "That way, there would be an equal amount of training between the four of you."

"Sounds good to me!" Ilus replied.

"Train in pairs, huh?" Ash said, deep in thought.

Buneary turned back to Pikachu, who'd been listening with keen interest. She smiled at him and continued eating.

* * *

After breakfast was over, the humans began to train with their pokémon. Dawn was training with Pachirisu and Quilava, Ash was training with the orange pig and brown crocodile, Siren was training with the green monkey and Ilus was training with the grey mole.

Since all of their other pokémon had been left out of their pokéballs to watch, Buneary sidled over to Pikachu.

"(Everyone's looking good out there, huh?)" she asked.

"(Yeah, they sure are!)" Pikachu replied with a nod. He frowned determinedly. "(I can't wait to train, myself!)"

"(Yeah!)" she cheered. She nuzzled against him. "(Be sure to knock 'em dead~! Though not literally, of course!)"

He chuckled awkwardly. "(Thanks... I will.)"

As the conversation petered out, she couldn't help but pout to herself. Dang. There was so much she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure where to start!

She really wanted him to confess first - because of how incredibly romantic that would be! - but he wasn't taking the bait at all. Why? After months of being apart, one would think he'd jump at the chance!

... Unless she'd been too subtle? She'd spent many months trying to make her feelings known, but even she couldn't deny that her confidence came in small bursts. One second, she'd be winking and flirting, then, the next, she'd be hiding behind her fluff. Her boldness was through the roof right now, but only because they'd been apart for so long! If she left it any longer, she'd go back to being super shy.

... Then again, perhaps he was the one waiting for her to confess first! Of course! Why hadn't she seen it sooner? He'd always blush and get super embarrassed, but that was only because he couldn't handle the bubbling feelings in his belly! Or perhaps his heart. Or both!

Okay. She knew what she had to do. Something that had to be done today, or else her nerves would fly away on her again. Firstly, though, she needed a good place. A romantic place! One that would set the tone for what she was about to do.

She glanced around briefly. When her eyes landed on the stairs, they widened. Of course! It was perfect!

She turned back to the mouse. "(... Hey, Pikachu?)"

He looked at her. "(Mmm?)"

"(Could I talk to you about something?)"

"(Huh?)" He smiled. "(Yeah, sure. What about?)"

Her eyes lit up excitedly. "(Can we go down to the beach first?)"

He blinked, looking confused. "(Huh?)"

"(Come on! Please?)"

"(Uh, yeah, sure.)"

She glanced around briefly, but no one seemed to be paying attention. They were all much too focused on the training.

Great! This meant they'd be all alone for sure!

She grabbed his paw and lightly dragged him towards the stairs. "(Let's go!)"

"(Okay...)"

* * *

Once Buneary had led Pikachu down the stairs and onto the sand, she looked around her at the beautiful view. The weather was warm, the sky was blue and the ocean even more blue. A slight hint of salt hung on the breeze. It was lovely.

Letting go of Pikachu's paw, she turned to face him.

"(So, uh...)" the mouse said with a small smile, "(what did you wanna talk to me about?)"

Buneary giggled. "(Well...)" she replied. She grabbed her fluff and pulled it up to her nose.

"(Hmm? What is it?)"

"(Weeeell...)" She rocked from side to side, her face warming up in embarrassment.

"(... Buneary?)"

"(I...)" Her throat constricted. "(I...)" Gosh, this was harder than she'd thought! But she had to do it! Her love life was depending on it! "(... I really like you, Pikachu!)" There was a pause. "(As in romantically!)" There was another pause. "(As in, I-wanna-go-on-dates-with-you-and-stuff romantically! Argh, this is so embarrassing~!)" She hid her face.

A long silence passed.

Eventually, Pikachu heaved a sigh. She lowered her fluff in curiosity, only to see that his ears had dipped and he was looking down, eyes creased.

"(P... Pikachu?)" she asked worriedly.

He sighed again, then looked up to meet her gaze. "(I... I'm sorry, Buneary.)"

Something inside her grew slightly cold. "(... Huh?)"

"(I... can't. No, I... I won't. I...)" He took a deep breath. "(I'm sorry.)"

"(... Wait. You mean...?)"

He nodded, slowly and solemnly. "(... I...)" He looked away. "(I can't do this. Just, please... can we just stay friends?)"

She felt her heart breaking more with every passing second. Her throat began to constrict. "(... Why?)"

He tightly closed his eyes. "(Just... please.)" He paused a long moment, then opened his eyes to look back at the stairs. "(I'm going back to where the others are. I'll... see you later, okay?)"

"(... Yeah, sure... okay...)"

She watched as he turned away and began to walk towards the stairs. Every step he took, the swelling in her throat increased. Eventually, it reached her eyes and her vision started to blur.

Lip trembling, she suddenly wished Dawn had never come to Unova for this stupid tournament...


	2. Concerning Change

Author's note: Hey again, peeps!

Time for the second instalment of this delightful fic. XP Yay!

Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Chapter Two** **: Concerning Change**

Pikachu climbed the stairs, one after another. With every step, he resisted the urge to look back towards the beach. Back towards Buneary.

... No. He knew he'd done the right thing. Of course he had. He just had to believe in his decision and keep pushing forward. He couldn't afford to be second-guessing himself. Not now. Not ever.

He had to admit, though, it was impressive that she'd kept her crush on him for so long. He'd thought for sure she'd have gotten over him during her time in Hoenn.

 _Oh well,_ he thought as he reached the top of the stairs. Resisting one last look behind him, he headed towards where his friends were training. _I'm sure she will, in due time._

* * *

Buneary sat on the beach, staring out across the ocean. The tears continued to run down her cheeks in steady streams, though at least the sobs had finally stopped. Her face was probably as salty as the ocean right now...

... She'd really thought that Pikachu liked her back. No, she'd almost been sure of it! Almost...

He clearly didn't, though, did he? But why? What had she done?

They got along well, didn't they? He enjoyed her company, didn't he?

... Didn't he?

Or... did he think she was weird?

Sure, she'd often ramble and say strange things sometimes - well, all the time, really - but she thought he didn't mind that. She thought he liked it, even! Found it cute. Or amusing.

... Perhaps he'd always found it annoying, instead.

Her ear flopped dejectedly. While she'd been in Hoenn, had he missed her much? Or even at all? Had he been glad to see her?

... Or did he wish she was _still_ in Hoenn?

Perhaps his heart had grown yonder, instead of fonder. Or, perhaps, he'd never liked her to begin with.

She just didn't know anymore...

* * *

After around an hour of training, Pignite, Krokorok, Pachirisu, Quilava, Excadrill and Pansage were all beginning to show signs of fatigue.

It hadn't escaped Pikachu's notice that Buneary still wasn't back. Most of the other pokémon hadn't really noticed, but he could see Togekiss glancing around in concern. When she caught his eye, she threw him a questioning look.

Of course he'd be the prime suspect...

He quickly turned away, focusing his attention back on the humans.

Dawn stretched. "Well!" she said happily. "I think we all got some good training in! What do you guys say to a bit of a break?"

"I think that's a splendid idea!" Cilan replied. "Perhaps the pokémon would enjoy it, as well!"

"Aww..." Ash grumbled, "but there's so much training left to do..."

"Urgh, Ash!" Iris griped. "There's plenty of time before the tournament, so don't be such a little kid!"

Ash frowned lightly at her. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Humans and pokémon need rest or they'll burn themselves out! You should know this!" She flailed her arms angrily. "Do you _want_ me to get a sore throat from shouting out moves all day?!"

"I agree," Cilan said. "Time in the oven is essential for a meal to taste delicious... though overcooking can have disastrous results."

Ash heaved a sigh, slumping his shoulders. "Yeah, I know you're right..." he replied. Straightening, he smiled. "Alright, guys, take a break. We'll switch over after everyone's rested up!"

"(Okay!)" all seventeen pokémon of theirs replied at once.

* * *

As Pignite, Krokorok, Pachirisu, Quilava, Excadrill and Pansage lounged on the grass, and the six humans sat on Cynthia's balcony to chat, some of the other pokémon discussed playing a game of tag. Cynthia's garchomp and gastrodon had opted to relax near their trainer, but her glaceon looked interested in playing.

Piplup and Oshawott were too busy squabbling over Meloetta to join in the discussion, though no one was paying them any mind, anyway.

Togekiss, however, had decided to bypass the group entirely and walk towards Pikachu. He felt his back stiffen in anticipation. Oh no...

He was almost sure he'd stopped breathing. He knew what she was going to say. He knew what she was going to ask. He needed to prepare an answer and fast.

She was halfway to him, a concerned look on her face, when something unexpected happened. Buneary suddenly appeared by her side, cheerful smile back in place. Togekiss stopped walking, mouth open in surprise.

"(Oh, there you are, dear!)" she said.

"(Yep!)" Buneary replied. "(Here I am!)"

Pikachu breathed a heavy sigh of relief, both at the interruption and the chipper look on the rabbit's face.

Yep, it was just as he'd thought. She was getting over it already. Soon, they'd go back to being friends and put this whole crush thing behind them.

"(Alright, let's play!)" Axew cried excitedly. He paused, blinking. "(So... who's 'it'?)"

Emolga held up her hands defensively. "(Not it,)" she replied.

Snivy rolled her eyes. "(Not it,)" she replied.

"(Ooh, can I play?)" Meloetta asked. "(It sounds like fun!)"

"(In that case, _I'm_ gonna be 'it'!)" Piplup announced loudly.

"(No!)" Oshawott cried, pushing past Piplup. "( _I'm_ gonna be 'it'!)"

Pikachu sighed in exasperation. His teammates sometimes had no sense of harmony. It often drove him crazy.

Shaking his head, he made his way over to Buneary.

"(Hey, Buneary,)" he said. She turned to him with a slight jolt. "(Gonna play tag with us?)"

After a moment, the smile returned, wider than before. "(Yeah!)" she replied. "(Of course!)"

"(Great.)"

Togekiss looked between them unsurely, but said nothing. Pikachu was honestly glad of that.

* * *

Eventually, after a few games of tag and some relaxation on the grass, Cilan had called them all over to have lunch. Pikachu accepted his bowl of pellets with much gusto, eager to finish eating, so that he could take his turn in training.

There was so much to be done - strength training, speed training, accuracy training, endurance training - and he knew it couldn't all be done in a one-hour session, but he'd certainly try his best. He was going to help Ash win the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, for sure!

Plus, it would also help benefit him whenever the Unova League rolled around. He really wanted to make up for the Sinnoh League, where their team had been obliterated by Tobias and his legendaries...

Shaking his head, he picked up a pellet and nibbled on it. Hmm. Today's lunch tasted green, healthy and bitter. Not that he minded it, really. It was okay. Nibbling on it some more, he glanced to the side of him to see who was sitting nearby.

He paused at the lack of Buneary.

Huh. Normally, she'd be only too happy to sit near him. Where the heck was she? Twisting his head around, he tried to find her.

His eyes scanned across the many shapes and colours around him, all strewn along the grass. There was much chatting and laughing - and even some squabbling - but where was that shade of brown he'd come to know?

After a few more moments, he finally spotted her. His face lit up for a split second, until he realised how far away from him she was sitting. Why was she all the way over there?

There were many pokémon in-between them and she seemed to be chatting to Togekiss and Pachirisu. Both the bird and squirrel had strange looks on their faces, but they were hard to see properly from where Pikachu was.

Feeling slightly disappointed, he turned back to his pellets.

* * *

Once everyone had finished lunch and cleared away the bowls and plates, the humans got back into position for more training.

"Alright!" Ash said. "Pikachu and Scraggy, let's go!"

"(Bring it on!)" Scraggy replied, lifting up his loose skin aggressively.

Pikachu gave a determined nod. "(Yeah!)" he replied.

"Piplup and Mamoswine," Dawn said, "you're up!"

"(Let's go!)" Mamoswine replied, lifting his forelegs for a moment. When they crashed back down, the floor shook slightly.

"(Prepare to be amazed, Meloetta,)" Piplup said. "(Just watch this pro work his magic.)"

"(Okay~!)" Meloetta replied.

Oshawott ground his teeth in annoyance.

"Emolga!" Iris said. "Ready to go?"

Emolga groaned. "(Do I have to?)" she asked.

"And Crustle!" Cilan said. "Let's prepare a feast for the eyes!"

"(I can't wait!)" Crustle replied.

Smiling, Pikachu turned in Buneary's direction. He expected her to hop over any moment now and wish him good luck, as she always did when he was about to train. He paused, however, as he noticed that she wasn't even looking at him. Instead, she was smiling in the direction of the humans.

He blinked. Once he realised he'd been staring, however, he quickly turned away, looking back at Ash. After all, he had work to do...

* * *

As per Ash's instruction, Pikachu was trying to shoot off faster and faster Electro Balls. Beside him, his teammate, Scraggy, was trying to shoot off faster and faster Focus Blasts. It was going rather well, but it was tiring work.

As he landed on the grass after another Electro Ball, he exhaled slowly, then couldn't help a quick glance at the spectators. His eyes immediately found Buneary. She looked impressed for a second, but then quickly looked elsewhere.

... Oh right. She'd never seen his Electro Ball before, had she? Well, that explained the reaction.

He couldn't deny that he felt a spark of pride over his newest move. At the same time, though, she was looking somewhere else rather intently. Curious, he followed her line of vision, until he noticed that she was watching Piplup and Mamoswine's training session. The latter of the duo was taking his training very seriously, but the former was performing many spins and flips, in an attempt to look impressive for his crush, Meloetta.

Pikachu frowned at the penguin's annoying behaviour, then turned away to get back to work.

* * *

About an hour later, Pikachu felt exhausted. Not that he minded, though, really. He loved a good workout! It made him feel satisfied. Accomplished. Happy.

If only his old man could see him now, he'd be so pleased!

Grinning to himself, he flopped into a seated position on the grass.

"Awesome!" Ash said. "Great work, guys!"

"Yeah, nice job!" Dawn agreed.

"You know," Iris said, "it's kinda fun to train so much!"

Heh, that was a point. Usually, they didn't train this much, because they'd be too busy travelling. With them staying in one place, though - and the surprising lack of Team Rocket this region - they had more time to focus on training.

"I agree!" Cilan replied. "To sharpen the mind, one must also sharpen the palate!"

Iris gave him a dry smile. "What does that even mean, Cilan?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well... just that it's good to try new recipes every now and then..."

Dawn giggled. "Wow," she said, "you sure do talk about food a lot!"

Ash laughed. "Yeah, no kidding!" he replied. "It's, like, his favourite _thing_ to talk about!"

Cilan smiled awkwardly, blushing. "Yes, well..." he said.

Iris shrugged. "One could even say he finds food to be..." She struck a Cilan-ish pose mockingly. "Utterly delectable~!"

Cilan choked on the air in shock, while Ash and Dawn burst out laughing.

Pikachu couldn't help but chuckle along. Turning sideways, though, he caught sight of the other pokémon discussing playing a game of hide-and-seek. He would have loved to join in, but alas, he was far too tired.

* * *

Eventually, after another long break, full of rest and games, Pikachu was back to standing on the sidelines, ready to watch his teammates train.

"Alright!" Ash said. "Oshawott and Snivy, you're up!"

Snivy puffed out her chest. "(Ready to go,)" she replied.

"(Yeah!)" Oshawott cried in determination. He glanced at Meloetta. "(Just watch me be awesome, okay?)"

"(If, by awesome,)" Piplup said, "(you mean terrible, then sure.)"

Meloetta giggled and Oshawott ground his teeth in anger.

"Axew," Iris said, "you're next, okay?"

"(Yeah!)" Axew cried happily. "(Let's go!)"

"And Stunfisk," Cilan said, "you're next on the menu!"

"(Not literally, I hope!)" Stunfisk replied with a smile.

"And Togekiss and Buneary," Dawn said, "it's your turn!"

"(I shall do my best,)" Togekiss replied, bowing slightly.

"(Y-Yeah!)" Buneary replied. "(Let's go!)"

As all six pokémon got into position in front of their trainers, Pikachu waved to Buneary. She blinked in surprise for a moment, then gently waved back.

He paused. Normally, she'd be much more enthusiastic than that.

... Then again, could she still be upset?

He cringed, turning away from her. Given time, he knew she'd stop being upset. He hoped it would be soon, though, because the air was oddly awkward between them right now...

Amongst the calls of the trainers, Pikachu picked up a command from Dawn.

"Alright," she said. "Togekiss, Air Slash! And Buneary, Bounce!"

He looked up to see a swirling wind form above Togekiss' wing as she twirled it around gracefully. Creating a rotating ball of air, she flung it at the ground.

Buneary bent down slightly, then sprung into the air. Pikachu watched her, but was confused when she didn't bounce as high as she normally did.

"And again!"

Togekiss formed another spinning ball of air, this time twirling as she did. Buneary landed on the ground, stumbling slightly, before bouncing into the air again.

Dawn looked as perplexed as Pikachu felt. "Huh?" she asked. After a moment, she shook it off. "Buneary, Ice Beam!"

Landing just as the Air Slash struck the ground next to her, Buneary opened her mouth. The familiar pale blue glow of her Ice Beam appeared, but, after a moment, it faded away again. The rabbit blinked in surprise.

"... Buneary?"

"Hmm?" Iris asked. "Something wrong, Dawn?"

"What's up?" Ash asked.

"Buneary, Ice Beam!" Dawn cried again.

Again, Buneary opened her mouth, concentrating hard. The pale blue glow, once again, appeared before fading away.

Pikachu blinked. "(... Buneary?)" he asked.

"Hmm..." Cilan said, "it appears her meal is a little undercooked..."

"... What's wrong, Buneary?" Dawn asked.

Buneary turned to her trainer with a bright smile. "(Nothing's wrong, Dawn!)" she replied. "(I'm handy and dandy and raring to go!)" Dawn looked as unconvinced as Pikachu felt. "(As raring as a... well... a raring thing!)" There was an awkward pause. "(Yeah.)"

"(... Are you alright, dear?)" Togekiss asked in concern.

"(Y-Yeah!)" Buneary replied, turning to her. "(Never better!)"

"(... Are you sure?)"

"(Yeah!)"

Pikachu's ears drooped. Of course, he knew full well what the cause was, but he wished it wouldn't be this way.

"Uhhh..." Dawn said, trying to think. She gasped. "Oh! How about we try out that new move of yours?"

... A new move? Pikachu looked at Buneary in intrigue. The moment she met his gaze, she winced and looked away, back to Dawn. She shook her head.

"... No? You're not feeling up to it?"

Buneary shook her head again.

"Oh..." Dawn paused. After a moment, she smiled. "Well, no need to worry! Maybe you'll be feeling better tomorrow!"

Buneary gave her a light smile. "(Yeah, maybe!)"

"Feel free to take a break today, though, okay?"

"(Okay. Thanks, Dawn!)"

Making her way off the battlefield, Buneary moved onto the sidelines to stand near Pachirisu and Quilava. They seemed to be talking to her, but Pikachu couldn't hear what they were saying.

He sighed heavily to himself, turning back to watch the training.

* * *

As Oshawott, Snivy, Axew, Stunfisk and Togekiss continued on with their training, Buneary remained on the sidelines, near Pachirisu and Quilava. Unable to talk to her from this distance, Pikachu instead watched Oshawott's performance, brooding about the otter's annoying behaviour. After every move, he'd keep glancing back at Meloetta, desperate to impress her. Sometimes, he'd manage it and she'd smile and clap. Other times, she'd be too focused on Piplup to pay attention. The otter's teammate, Snivy, kept rolling her eyes at him, but he never seemed to notice.

Pikachu glanced past Emolga, who was pouting slightly, and towards Buneary. When he couldn't catch the rabbit's attention, he sighed and turned away again.

* * *

Eventually, the day's training had come to an end. After dinner, all of the pokémon - who weren't Pikachu, Piplup and Axew - were returned to their pokéballs. While Meloetta stared out at the ocean, as she often did, the humans were enjoying a cup of tea on Cynthia's balcony.

"I hope Buneary feels better tomorrow..." Dawn muttered, sipping her tea.

Pikachu, who was sitting on Ash's lap, winced slightly.

Piplup, who was sitting on Dawn's lap, blinked up at his trainer. "(Huh?)" he asked.

Clearly, he'd been too focused on Meloetta earlier to know what was going on.

"I'm sure she'll be one hundred percent before you know it, Dawn!" Ash replied confidently. "Today was just an off day!"

"I dunno..." Iris said, looking concerned. "There was something odd about it..."

"(Yeah...)" Axew said solemnly from her lap.

"Agreed," Cilan said. "Her dish was lacking a certain ingredient." He folded his arms in thought. "Though what that ingredient was, I'm not sure..."

"Aw, you guys worry too much!" Ash replied. "She'll be fine tomorrow, I'm sure of it!"

Yeah. Yeah, Ash was right. Of course he was. All Buneary needed was a good night's rest and she'd be fine in the morning.

"(Yeah!)" Pikachu added, nodding.

"Well, if you guys say so..." Dawn replied.

"Whatever the issue is," Cynthia said, "I'm sure you and Buneary can work your way through it."

"As do I, Miss Dawn," Jervis added.

"Thanks," Dawn replied with a smile.

Turning away, Pikachu stared up at the clouds overhead. As he watched them slowly drift along the horizon, he thought about many things. About the training, the tournament and about Buneary.

... He, too, hoped that she'd be okay soon. For both of their sakes.


	3. Awkward Atmosphere

Author's note: Bonjour, messieurs et mademoiselles!

... You ready for more salt? XP Coz this fic's full of it, mateys.

If it's sugar you're after, instead, head on over to 'A Gracious Gift', where Pikachu's greatest flaw is that he's a bit dim.

For all who like salt, though, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Three** **: Awkward Atmosphere**

The following day, Ash had decided to try training the other four Unova pokémon that he had in rotation. Using the Undella Town pokémon centre, he'd switched out Pignite, Krokorok, Scraggy and Snivy for Palpitoad, Boldore, Unfezant and Leavanny, before returning to Cynthia's villa.

At one point, he'd briefly considered swapping out Oshawott, but the otter had loudly protested against it, by waving his arms and shaking his head. The reason being, as Oshawott himself had put it, he didn't want to leave Meloetta alone with Piplup, in case the penguin sank his 'dirty flippers' into her while he was away. Although the language barrier had prevented Ash from understanding, he'd let the otter stay, along with Pikachu.

The mouse couldn't wait to start his morning training. All the pokémon who'd be joining him - Palpitoad, Mamoswine, Pachirisu, Emolga and Stunfisk - were outside their pokéballs, whereas everyone else was being kept inside theirs for now. The two exceptions, as always, being Piplup and Axew.

"Alright!" Ash said, grinning down at Pikachu and Palpitoad. "You guys ready to start off the day's training?"

"(Yeah!)" they both cried in response.

"Planning to train up here again?" Cynthia asked, walking over with a smile.

Ash turned to her. "Yeah, of course!" he replied. "Where _else_ would I be training?"

Her smile widened slightly. "Well, I _do_ have a beach, you know."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Hey, you're right!" Dawn replied.

"Oh yeah..." Iris said, slumping her shoulders with a smile, "I honestly forgot..."

"That sounds delightful!" Cilan said happily. "A change in scenery will provide an exciting new flavour to an already tasty dish!"

"Alright!" Ash said. "In that case, let's head down to the beach!"

"(Yeah!)" most of the pokémon replied.

"Now _there's_ an idea I can get behind!" Iris said.

"Me too!" Dawn added.

Cilan pirouetted past them all on his way to the stairs. "It's _beach_ time~!" he sang.

Ash laughed. "Hey, wait up, Cilan!" he called out, chasing after him.

"Yeah, slow down!" Iris called, following suit.

Dawn sighed with a smile. "That guy's a piece of work..." she said, before also following.

* * *

Pikachu had to admit, it was nice to train on the beach. The warm sand on his feet every time he landed, plus the clear blue sky and the salty ocean air, made it a very pleasant change.

On the other hand, it did bring back memories of the previous day...

Shaking them off, he focused even harder on his training.

While Ash was working with both him and Palpitoad, Dawn was training Mamoswine and Pachirisu, Iris was training Emolga and Cilan was training Stunfisk.

As Pikachu swung around for another Iron Tail, he tried not to think about his rabbit friend.

* * *

The day wore on. Breaks were taken, games were played and, now, the humans and pokémon were eating lunch.

Pikachu picked up a pellet from his bowl and raised it to his mouth, but paused as he noticed Emolga flirting with Leavanny, Palpitoad and Boldore nearby. She was giving them the puppy dog eyes - surprisingly not using Attract, for once - as she tried to coax some pellets out of them.

Leavanny responded awkwardly, smiling and rubbing the back of his head, while Palpitoad frowned, protectively crouching over his bowl. Boldore was tilting his head, his mood unreadable, due to a lack of eyes.

Frowning at the display, Pikachu looked elsewhere, only to be met with the sight of Piplup and Oshawott. The two water-types were rolling around in the dirt and smacking one another, while Meloetta watched in concern.

Rolling his eyes in mild annoyance, Pikachu looked back to his pellet. His head jolted when he saw Buneary sitting opposite him.

"(Oh...)" he said, "(hey!)"

"(Heyyy~)" she replied with a smile.

He couldn't help but notice that it wasn't stretching as far as it normally did.

"(... So... how's it going?)"

"(Good, thanks~!)" She paused a moment. "(Good job on the training earlier! You were _super_!)" She paused again. "(Well, as far I could tell from inside my pokéball, anyway!)"

He smiled back at her. "(Heh, thanks... I'm sure you'll do great, too!)" He paused. "(Speaking of which... are you okay to train today?)"

Her ear curled slightly, her smile faltering. After a moment, it was back again. "(Yeah, I think so! It was just a hiccup, is all!)"

He couldn't help the tiniest smirk on his face. "(A hiccup, huh?)"

"(Yup! A little ol' hiccup!)" She winked at him. "(Though I think it's gone now!)"

He winced at her sudden show of affection. "(Um...)"

She faltered again. "(... S-So yeah! 'No need to worry' and all that! Because I'm gonna take the spooootlight!)" Her smile widened.

"(... Right.)"

Giggling much harder than usual, she picked up a few pellets and shoved them into her mouth. Chewing on them, she let out a noise of approval.

"(It'sh good...)"

Chuckling awkwardly, Pikachu raised his pellet to his mouth and nibbled on it. It was rather sweet, though not overwhelmingly so. In fact, it vaguely tasted like apples, which explained why Emolga was so keen to eat more of it.

"(Hmm. Yeah, it is.)"

"(Heh...)"

They continued their lunch in silence.

* * *

After lunch, the humans started the afternoon training, Ash with Leavanny and Oshawott, Dawn with Togekiss and Quilava, Iris with Axew and Cilan with Pansage.

Since the pokémon had been left out of their pokéballs, Pikachu watched alongside Buneary.

Conversation between them, however, was sparse.

* * *

After the afternoon training had finished, and breaks had been taken, it was on to the evening training. Ash with Unfezant and Boldore, Iris with Excadrill, Cilan with Crustle and Dawn with Piplup and Buneary.

As the rabbit walked forwards, Pikachu gave her a brief wave. "(Good luck, Buneary!)" he said.

She turned in slight surprise. Recovering, she gave him a small wave before positioning herself in front of Dawn.

Huh. No response? Normally, she'd have thanked him profusely for a comment like that.

... Then again, that was when she'd had a crush on him. He winced.

"Alright, Piplup!" Dawn cried out. "Time to start off with Hydro Pump!"

"(Ha,)" Piplup replied, "(I can do this in my sleep.)"

Leaping into the air, the penguin opened his beak and angled it downwards. Shooting out a geyser of water that collided with the ground, he managed to keep himself suspended in mid-air. He posed.

"(Wow!)" Meloetta said.

"(Aww, come on!)" Oshawott cried. He gritted his teeth. "(... I am _so_ gonna learn that... but better!)"

"Now then!" Dawn cried as Piplup landed back on the ground. She paused, then looked down at Buneary. "Are you okay to train today, Buneary?"

Buneary looked up at her and smiled. "(Yeah, I think so!)" she replied.

Dawn pumped a fist in determination. "Alright!" She pointed. "Then use Dizzy Punch!"

"(Got it!)"

Prepping herself, the fluff on Buneary's ears began to glow a faint rainbow-tinted white. Then they faded back to normal. The rabbit looked surprised.

"Buneary?"

"(No! I got this!)"

Buneary unleashed a battle cry as she swung her ears, one after another. There seemed to be an odd lack of power behind the punches.

"Um... okay, let's try this! Piplup and Buneary, double Ice Beam towards each other!"

Buneary spun on the spot, facing the penguin. "(Got it!)"

She opened her mouth, which began to glow a pale blue. Opposite her, Piplup's beak was also glowing pale blue.

"And go!"

Piplup shot out his Ice Beam. Buneary's, however, faded away, just like last time. She panicked as the opposing Ice Beam approached.

Dawn, also panicking, shrieked. "Buneary, dodge it!"

Buneary bounded away, seconds before the Ice Beam froze the ground. When she landed, she stumbled slightly, but regained her footing.

"Buneary? Are you okay? Are you still not feeling well?"

"(N-No, I'm fine! I got this!)"

Piplup looked at her, slightly concerned. "(Buneary?)" he asked.

"(I'm good...)"

"This is really weird..." Ash said, having stopped his training to watch.

Iris turned to Cilan. "What could be wrong with Buneary?" she asked.

Cilan put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm..." he replied.

After a moment, Dawn shook her head to clear it, then smiled determinedly. "Come on, Buneary!" she cried. "No need to worry! You can do this!"

"(Y-Yeah!)" Buneary replied. "(I can totally do this!)"

"So, how's about we show off your new move? You ready to give it a try?"

Buneary glanced once at Pikachu. They locked gazes for a mere moment, before she looked away and nodded.

"Alright, Buneary..." Dawn pointed a finger dramatically. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's eyes widened instantly.

"Thunderbolt?!" Ash exclaimed.

Clenching her paws together, Buneary concentrated. The fluff around her waist began to spark.

Pikachu blinked. Then blinked again. After a moment, he lowered his eyelids. Thunderbolt? Really? There was no way this was a coincidence.

Had this rabbit been so desperate to gain his favour that she'd learned what was basically his signature move? Just to impress him?

A part of him was flattered by it. The other part was rather annoyed.

Before he could think any more on the matter, however, Buneary's sparks suddenly fizzled out.

Dawn slumped. "No good, huh?"

Buneary looked up, locking gazes with Pikachu. He held his exasperated expression as he looked back at her, silently asking why. Why she had to go and learn that. She gave him a pitiful face in return, before turning away.

"Man, I wonder what's wrong..." Ash said.

"Is Buneary sick?" Iris asked. "Or tired?"

"Perhaps she has some emotional baggage," Cilan suggested.

"I... I don't know..." Dawn replied. She knelt down. "Hey, Buneary, are you okay?"

Buneary turned to her with a wide smile. "(Yeah! I'm great!)" she replied. "(Super duper!)"

Ash folded his arms. "You know, this kinda reminds me of Sceptile," he said.

Dawn looked up at him. "Sceptile?" she asked.

"Yeah, _my_ sceptile. His Bullet Seed stopped working when he got sad once."

Pikachu flinched.

Iris blinked. "Really?" she asked. "What got him sad?"

Ash put on a thoughtful pose. "Hmmmmm..." he replied. There was a long pause. "You know what?" He smiled sheepishly. "I can't remember."

The other three humans almost fell over.

"Oh, well, that doesn't help us at all!" Iris cried.

"Yes," Cilan agreed with a sheepish grin of his own, "that ingredient doesn't accentuate this dish at all..."

Dawn sighed, then turned back to Buneary. "Are you sad, Buneary?" she asked.

Buneary blinked at her. After a moment, she smiled and shook her head. "(Nah! I'm fine! I'm dandy! I'm _super_!)" Dawn didn't look convinced. "(I'm so super that I'm almost a superhero!)" She paused. "(Or is that a superheroine?)"

Dawn sighed again, getting to her feet. "I just don't get it..."

"Hmmm..." Cilan said, "I'm afraid my evaluation time won't be of much use here..."

Iris gave a light smile. "I guess you could always try again tomorrow," she suggested.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed. "One more day should do the trick!"

"Mmm," Cilan added with an approving nod. "Perhaps the salad will be much fresher by then!"

Iris lowered her eyelids at him. "That's not how salads work, Cilan..." she replied.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "Well, no, I know that, but..."

"So don't worry, Buneary!" Ash interjected, fists clenched in determination. "You'll get your groove back in no time! I believe in ya!"

"Me too!" Dawn added with a large smile. "So, no need to worry, okay?"

"Agreed!" Cilan added. "If your soufflé falls the first time, or the second, or perhaps even the _third_ , then keep baking until it's perfect!"

"Yeah!" Iris agreed. "Don't let one bad dish get you down, 'cause the next one might be even _more_ delicious!" She smiled brightly, then paused. "Wait..." She scrunched up her face up in distaste. "Oh, now you've got _me_ doing it!"

The humans all laughed at her, Cilan doing so with a slightly red face. Even some of the pokémon joined in.

... Pikachu, however, couldn't find it in himself to laugh.

* * *

Later, after more resting and playing, everyone had been called over by Cilan to eat dinner.

Pikachu nibbled on a pellet, barely acknowledging the sour flavouring as Buneary slowly walked over, a bowl in her paws.

"(Heyyyy...)" she said. "(Mind if I sit here?)"

"(No, go ahead,)" he replied, waving a paw.

"(Thanks.)" She sat down. "(... So! Good day of training?)"

He eyed her up warily. "(Yeah...)"

"(... My moves didn't work too well this time, but I'll get 'em next time!)"

"(Uh huh...)"

"(I'll... I'll take 'em by the scruff of their neck and I'll tell 'em to _do their thing_!)"

"(... Right.)"

Silence followed.

"(... So, uh...)" Pikachu continued, staring intently down at his pellet, "(when did you learn Thunderbolt?)"

There was a pause. "(Oh, that?)" Buneary laughed loudly. "(Oh yeah, I learned that sometime in Hoenn! Which one was it? The third contest? Or the fourth?)" She paused. "(You know, I don't actually remember!)"

His grip on the pellet tightened. "(Oh yeah?)"

"(Yeah!)" She paused again. "(Oh! Or maybe it was the time Dawn met that travelling circus guy! He had a tall hat and a cool bowtie and had this really funny moustache that made him look-)" She paused a third time. "(... Hey, are you okay?)"

He loosened his grip. "(Yeah. I'm fine.)" He nibbled on the pellet, still not looking at her.

"(... Oh... okay.)"

She fell silent after that.

* * *

After all but Pikachu, Piplup and Axew had been called back to their pokéballs, the humans sat on Cynthia's balcony.

"You've all been working so hard on your training," Cynthia said, gently lifting her cup of tea. She blew on it a few times to cool it down, then smiled. "And the tournament's not for another twelve days."

"Well, we gotta be ready, you know?" Ash replied. "I'm gonna win the Junior Cup for sure!"

"Ha!" Iris said. "You'll have to beat _me_ first!"

"(Yeah!)" Axew agreed from her lap.

"And me!" Cilan added.

"And me!" Dawn added. She paused. "I just hope Buneary's gonna be okay..."

"(Yeah...)" Piplup agreed from her lap.

"She'll be fine, Dawn," Ash replied. "No need to worry, right?"

"Yeah," Dawn said. She brightened up slightly. "Yeah, you're right."

Cynthia slowly sipped her tea. After a moment, she lowered the cup. "So, what do you think's wrong with Buneary?" she asked.

Dawn sighed. "I have no idea..." She looked down at the table. Piplup looked up at her in concern. "She said she wasn't sad, but there's clearly _something_ wrong..."

"Stress, perhaps?"

"I don't know..."

"Hmm..." Cynthia turned to her butler. "What do _you_ think, Jervis?"

"It is likely that something is indeed bothering Miss Buneary," Jervis replied, "though what it is, I could not say..."

"It really does remind me of Sceptile..." Ash said thoughtfully, "though I can't remember why..."

"Urgh," Iris grumbled. "Well, try and remember, okay, Ash? It might help."

"(Yeah, it might help!)" Axew echoed.

"Yeah, okay," Ash replied.

From his trainer's lap, Pikachu sighed to himself. He knew exactly why it was reminding Ash of Sceptile, but he wasn't about to tell anybody that.

Although, if the situation really _was_ like it had been with Sceptile, perhaps it would be over just as quickly, too.

He certainly hoped so...


	4. Drastic Difference

Author's note: Hey, guys! This fic has returned!

A big shout-out to this Pikachu's biggest hater, MewLover54! Any words for your number one anti-fan, Pikachu?

(Pikachu) "... No comment." *turns away*

Mmmkay then. Anyway, hope you like the chapter, folks! And, if not... please don't lynch me. XD I have two reboots to write...

* * *

 **Chapter Four** **: Drastic Difference**

Floating through the digital space inside her pokéball, Buneary heaved a sigh. Two days in a row now, her moves had failed. She'd tried and tried and tried some more, but it just hadn't happened. No Dizzy Punch, no Bounce, no Ice Beam.

... No Thunderbolt.

Pikachu seemed to be growing further and further away, too. Things were awkward. He was quiet. She was moveless.

It was all miserable.

When she'd learned Thunderbolt, she'd thought he'd be happy. Excited, even! After all, she'd wanted to learn it! She'd wanted to for so long, so she'd tried and tried and tried, until, eventually, she'd done it. She'd zapped and fried and she'd been so proud of herself. She'd jumped for joy!

She'd thought he'd be happy. But he wasn't.

... Why wasn't he happy? Why was he annoyed? Why was he barely talking to her now?

Maybe he... really did think she was weird.

Flashes of memories whizzed past, reminding her of happier times. She fiercely shook her head. No! That couldn't be it, right? He liked her quirkiness, right? After all, it was a part of her and - as far as she knew - had always been a part of her! They used to hang out and chat lots, back in Sinnoh, so he couldn't hate her, right? He couldn't think she was weird, right?

Yeah. Yeah! That was it. That wasn't the reason he'd rejected her at all! There must have been another reason! A secret reason! Like... maybe he was shy. Or wasn't ready. Or had bigger priorities. Something like that! That had to be it!

... Right?

She shook her head again. After a moment, she sighed. She really didn't know. She couldn't figure him out. Her brain went on a straight path, whereas his must have been all swirly and squiggly, like spaghetti. Twisting and turning so much that you'd never find the end of it. The end where the truth lay.

... She needed reassurance. She needed a way to convince herself that he didn't hate her. That he liked her just the way she was.

She pondered on it for a while.

* * *

Standing on the beach, Pikachu watched from the sidelines as the humans did their morning training. Since Ash had rotated his pokémon around again, he was training with Oshawott and Scraggy, while Dawn trained with Piplup and Togekiss, Iris trained with Axew and Cilan trained with Crustle.

The morning went by with nothing of note happening.

* * *

An hour later, the six pokémon who had been training were relaxing on the sand, recovering from their workout. Oshawott and Piplup were somehow still managing to butt heads, despite being exhausted. All of the other pokémon were let out of their pokéballs - or, in Axew's case, Iris' hair - to enjoy their break before lunch.

"(Alright, let's play)!" Axew said happily.

Snivy huffed lightly. "(If we must...)" she replied.

* * *

Several games of tag and hide-and-seek later, the pokémon gathered together for lunch.

As Pikachu approached one of the bowls, he noticed Buneary approaching him from the side. He smiled at her.

"(Hey, Buneary,)" he said.

"(Hello,)" Buneary replied, smiling gently back at him.

He blinked at the change in attitude. "(You, uh... feeling better today?)

"(Yes, thanks.)"

"(Um... okay, good!)" He sat down by the bowl of pellets. "(Do you think you'll be good to train today?)"

She sat down next to him. "(Yeah, I think so.)"

Wow. She was being awfully calm around him today. It was odd.

"(Okay, cool! Can't wait to see you practice.)"

"(Yeah. Should be fun.)"

Casting her a confused glance, he picked up a pellet and began nibbling on it. As the spicy sensation tickled his taste buds, he couldn't help but swoon.

"(Mmmm...)"

He heard Buneary nibbling on one. "(Mmm. Spicy.)"

He cast her another confused glance. Normally, she'd be spazzing out over her food, so this was quite strange.

Something inside his chest suddenly tightened. Squashing the feeling down as violently as he could, he shook his head.

"(So, uh... you feeling okay?)"

"(Yep. Never better.)"

"(Really?)"

"(Yep.)"

"(Oh... well, if you say so.)"

* * *

After lunch, it was back to training. Ash with Pignite and Snivy, Dawn with Pachirisu and Quilava, Iris with Excadrill and Cilan with Stunfisk.

Pikachu glanced sideways at Buneary, who was watching the training with a pleasant smile on her face.

"(... Looking forward to your turn later?)" he asked.

She turned to face him, pleasant smile still in place. "(Yeah,)" she replied.

He paused. "(... You gonna practice Thunderbolt?)"

She only took a moment to answer. "(Only if Dawn asks me to.)"

He blinked at her response. After a moment, he shook it off. "(Well, okay. Hey, looks like we'll be training at the same time, too. So good luck and all that.)"

He paused. Oh no. He'd opened a window for her to flirt with him. Here was the perfect opportunity for her to say something along the lines of 'Thanks. Not that I need it with you here~!'

"(You too.)"

Giving him one last smile, she turned away.

He stared at her. What? That was it? Really?

Was she... actually starting to get over him now? Were they... finally becoming just friends?

His smile widened. Wow. He couldn't believe it. She could actually be his friend now and not his fangirl. They could hang out and play together without the threat of dating looming over him. That was an exciting prospect.

He continued to smile as he watched the training, a weight now lifted from his shoulders.

* * *

Once the afternoon training had ended - and Pignite, Snivy, Pachirisu, Quilava, Excadrill and Stunfish were relaxing on the sand - the other pokémon had decided upon a game of hide-and-seek in the wooded area of Undella Town.

Currently, Pikachu was hiding in the hollow of a tree, certain that Pansage would struggle to find him this time. Last time, he'd hidden behind a rock and been caught immediately. That had been rather embarrassing, so it was time to up his game.

Suddenly, someone else dived into the tree hollow next to him. His eyes widened as he saw it was Buneary.

She turned around and her eyes widened. "(... Pikachu?)"

"(Oh, uh, hey,)" he replied, suddenly wary.

The last time they'd been alone together, she'd confessed to him. Now, she had the perfect opportunity to flirt with him. He braced for impact, just in case.

"(... Sorry. Should I go somewhere else?)"

He blinked. "(Uh... well, no, you don't have to... though, if Pansage looks here, we'll both be caught.)"

She smiled pleasantly. "(That's okay. I don't mind.)"

He blinked again. She really wasn't going to flirt with him, was she? Or hug him. Or confess her feelings to him again.

His smile brightened. "(Okay, sure! We can share.)"

* * *

Later, it was time for the evening training. Ash with Pikachu and Krokorok, Iris with Emolga, Cilan with Pansage and Dawn with Mamoswine and Buneary.

From his spot in front of Ash, Pikachu smiled in Buneary's direction, giving her a thumbs up. She looked slightly surprised. After a moment, she gave a small wave back.

"Krokorok, use Stone Edge!" Ash called out. "And Pikachu, you swat them away with Iron Tail!"

"(Gotcha!)" Krokorok responded, adjusting his sunglasses.

Glowing white, the crocodile formed two rings of white around his body, which turned into sharp, orbiting rocks. Turning to face Pikachu, he smirked. With a battle cry, he released them and they flew towards the mouse.

Sending energy to his tail, Pikachu felt it harden with a metallic sound. As the sharp rocks approached, he leapt into the air and swung his tail around multiple times. Each swing struck a rock, crumbling it to pieces.

When he landed back on the sand on all fours, he smirked back.

"(Not bad,)" he said.

"(Heh.)"

"Alright, nice one, guys!" Ash called out.

"... Again, Dawn?" Iris asked.

Intrigued, Pikachu turned his head to look over to where Dawn was. She and Mamoswine were looking down at Buneary in concern.

"Yeah..." Dawn replied.

"Still no good?" Ash asked.

Dawn sighed. "Nope..."

"Hmm..." Cilan said, placing a hand to his chin, "most perplexing."

Pikachu's ears dipped slightly. Oh dear. Her moves still weren't working. She was getting over him, though, right? So it probably wouldn't be long until they were back again.

Iris turned to Ash. "Ash, are you sure you don't remember anything about Sceptile that can help?" she asked.

Pikachu's back stiffened slightly.

Ash folded his arms in thought. "Hmmmm..." he replied. "Well..." There was a long pause. Suddenly, his face lit up in realisation. "Oh yeah! It was about a meganium!"

Dawn blinked. "A meganium?" she asked.

"Yeah." He paused for thought. "... Though I didn't really get why. He was sad that she was hanging out with someone else, or something. I think."

"The jealous type?" Iris asked.

Ash shrugged. "I guess so."

Pikachu quietly sighed in relief to himself. Thank goodness Ash was so dense. May, Max and Brock had all understood, but none of them were here right now. The only witnesses currently present were himself and Ash and he certainly wasn't going to tell people that he'd upset Buneary.

"... Are you sure you're not sad, Buneary?" Dawn asked gently.

"(Y-Yeah!)" Buneary replied, smiling up at her trainer. "(I'm... good.)"

"(... You don't look good to me,)" Mamoswine said.

"(Well... I'm not... feeling well, I guess.)"

"Is your buneary perhaps not feeling well?" Cilan asked.

"I dunno," Dawn replied. "Buneary?"

Buneary paused a long moment. Sighing, her unrolled ear flopped down. "(Yeah, I'm... not so good...)" she replied.

Pikachu's eyebrows furrowed in concern. She wasn't feeling well?

Dawn gave a light smile. "That's okay, Buneary," she said. Kneeling down, she scooped her in her arms and stood up again. "How about you take a nice, long break from training?"

Buneary blinked at her. "(Huh?)"

Dawn's smile widened. "Yeah! No need to worry! I'll just use my other pokémon in the tournament! There's only five rounds, after all."

"(A-Are you sure?)"

"Like I said, no need to worry!"

"(... Well... okay.)" Buneary smiled back. "(Thanks, Dawn.)"

"Good call," Cilan said. "After all, some dishes are best left on the side to cool."

"Yeah!" Iris agreed. "Have a nice, long rest, Buneary!"

"Be sure to cheer your teammates on in the tournament!" Ash added.

"(I will!)" Buneary replied.

Huh. So Buneary was dropping out of the tournament. That was a shame, but Pikachu supposed it was for the best.

* * *

After training, Pikachu relaxed on the sand, along with Krokorok, Emolga, Pansage and Mamoswine. Buneary, however, joined the others in a game of tag. Togekiss seemed to be fussing over the rabbit, a concerned expression on her face, but Buneary kept on smiling. Eventually, they were out of sight and playing elsewhere.

Pikachu heaved a sigh to himself. Well, he was sure she'd be okay. Once she'd played a few games, he'd talk to her and try to cheer her up a bit.

* * *

At dinner time, Pikachu walked over to where Buneary was. She looked up at him in surprise.

He smiled. "(Hey,)" he said. He pointed to two bowls next to them. "(Wanna sit here?)"

"(Uh... yeah, sure,)" she replied.

They sat down. He picked up a pellet, his smile turning soft. "(Hey, sorry that you won't be in the tournament.)"

"(That's okay.)"

His smile brightened again. "(No worries, though! You could use the break.)"

"(Y-Yeah.)"

"(Rest up and your moves will come back before you know it!)"

"(Yeah...)"

He bit into the pellet. It tasted slightly sour and slightly sweet. He hummed in appreciation.

"(Hey, you should try these! They're pretty good.)"

"(Oh. Yeah.)" She picked up a pellet and nibbled on it. "(... It's good.)"

"(Right? Not as good as the spicy ones we had for lunch, but still pretty good.)"

"(Ha, yeah.)"

He continued to talk throughout lunch, the smile never leaving his face.

* * *

"So, Buneary's not going to be entering?" Cynthia asked before sipping her tea.

"No," Dawn replied. "I think she needs a good, long rest before I use her again."

Iris gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, she's... not in the best shape," she agreed.

"I see," Cynthia replied, placing her tea cup back on its plate. "That is... unfortunate."

"No kidding," Ash agreed.

Cilan smiled. "Though perhaps a little time in the fridge is all this lovely dessert needs to be delicious!" he said.

"Perhaps," Cynthia replied.

From Dawn's lap, Piplup proudly puffed out his chest. "(Well, then I'll just have to be twice as impressive to make up for it!)" he said.

From Iris' lap, Axew waved his arms. "(Me too!)" he said.

Jervis turned to the four trainers. "So, have you four decided on the pokémon you'll be using in the tournament?" he asked.

"Well," Dawn replied, "I'll be using everyone except Buneary, obviously."

"Of course, Miss Dawn."

Iris slumped in exasperation. "And me and Cilan kinda don't have a choice," she replied.

Jervis chuckled. "Ah, yes. Of course, Miss Iris." He looked at Ash. "And what about you, Master Ash?"

Ash frowned in thought. "Hmmm..." he replied. "Well, I still haven't figured it out."

Cynthia smiled. "You still have plenty of time left before the tournament," she replied. "So there's no need to rush."

"I guess you're right." He smiled. "So I'll just keep switching them out for a while, 'til I figure it out!"

"A sound idea, Master Ash," Jervis replied, his face crinkling into a smile.

With everyone smiling, Pikachu couldn't help but smile, himself. Things finally seemed to be looking up.

... Something squirmed lightly in his chest at that, but he forcefully pushed it back down. He'd let nothing ruin this moment.

Nothing.


	5. Empty Effort

Author's notes: Hello, everybody! A hearty 'good day' to you all!

I hope you enjoy today's chapter! We're actually making progress in the story now! Huzzah!

Allons-y!

* * *

 **Chapter Five** **: Empty Effort**

After yet another rotation, Ash was doing his morning training, this time with Leavanny and Unfezant. Meanwhile, Dawn was training with Mamoswine and Togekiss, Iris with Excadrill and Cilan with Pansage.

Pikachu smiled at his friends' efforts. There were still nine days left until the tournament, but everyone was working so hard.

He glanced at the small yellow bag that Dawn was wearing. The one that he knew contained his friend. His friend who wouldn't be competing.

He felt a slight sadness tugging at him.

Shaking it off, he focused back on the training.

* * *

Sometime later, Leavanny, Unfezant, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Excadrill and Pansage were relaxing on the sand, exhausted from their workout.

Once everyone else was let out of their pokéballs, they gathered together to discuss games to play.

Pikachu caught a glimpse of Buneary as she joined the crowd. She seemed to be doing better than yesterday, from what he could tell. That was good. Hopefully, she'd rest up enough to be able to use her moves again.

The ache crept back into his chest. Violently shaking it off, he joined the group.

* * *

After much fun and games, it was lunchtime. Choosing a bowl to eat from, Pikachu sat down by it. Wondering about Buneary, he looked up, quickly scanning the crowd of hungry pokémon. He paused when he noticed her sitting by the bowl furthest away from him.

Huh. Had she not seen him, or something? He gave a small wave in her direction.

It seemed to catch her attention, but only for a split second, as she looked away again. He lowered his paw, slightly put off.

... Then again, no one said she _had_ to sit near him, right? She was perfectly entitled to sit wherever she wanted. Currently, she was sitting near Cynthia's three pokémon, Garchomp, Gastrodon and Glaceon. Again, she was entitled to do this. Maybe she was trying to befriend them, or something. After all, she'd spent so much time around _him_ lately that she hadn't really gotten to know Cynthia's pokémon very well. Maybe she was making up for it now.

He gave a small smile. Well, if that was the case, he'd leave her to it.

* * *

After lunch, it was time for the afternoon training. Ash with Pikachu and Boldore, Dawn with Piplup and Pachirisu, Iris with Emolga and Cilan with Crustle.

Pikachu focused hard as he practiced running around the sand with Quick Attack. Thankfully, the other pokémon had given him a wide berth.

Whenever he approached the crowd at high speed, he'd wait until the very last moment, then turn on a dime and run the other way. It was great practice for precision turning.

As he passed Buneary, he briefly glanced in her direction. She was so engrossed in a conversation with Glaceon that she didn't seem to notice him.

Slightly put off, he focused back on his training.

* * *

Once training was over, Pikachu relaxed on the sand, along with Boldore, Piplup, Pachirisu, Emolga and Crustle. He was exhausted.

Glancing at the remaining group of pokémon, he watched as they gathered together, discussing games to play. Buneary, he noticed, was chatting to Pansage and Leavanny.

Wow. Now she was getting to know the Unova pokémon. He smiled faintly. Well, that was good! Now she could spend time with pokémon who weren't him and, then, that would help her get over him faster!

Then he'd be nothing but another friend to her.

She wouldn't spend all her time around him.

Yes. This was good.

* * *

Eventually, it was time for the evening training session. Ash with Palpitoad and Oshawott, Dawn with Quilava, Iris with Axew and Cilan with Stunfisk.

Pikachu approached Buneary in the crowd. "(Hey,)" he said.

She gave him a look of surprise. "(Oh, hey,)" he replied.

He blinked. "(What's wrong?)"

"(Oh, nothing, nothing! I'm cool as a... I mean...)" She paused a long moment. "(... Well, I'm just gonna go talk to... Pansage. See you later.)" She quickly hopped away.

He watched her disappear amongst the crowd. "(Oh... um... okay...)"

There was something heavy in his stomach as he turned to watch the training. He vowed to ignore it.

* * *

Once the training was over, everyone gathered together, while Palpitoad, Oshawott, Quilava, Axew and Stunfisk relaxed.

Pikachu casually walked in Buneary's direction. Before he could get close, however, she hopped away, nestling herself between Unfezant and Boldore. He stopped in his tracks, his ears dipping slightly. Had she not seen him? He could've sworn she'd been looking straight at him.

... Unless she was avoiding him.

He squashed that thought down, before it could get too intrusive. No. She wasn't avoiding him. She was just enjoying spending time with her other friends, because she was getting over him. That was all it was.

A weight in his chest, he walked towards where Leavanny and Togekiss were having a conversation.

* * *

When dinnertime rolled around, Pikachu chose a bowl. A brief glance in the distance told him that, yet again, Buneary was nowhere near him. She'd chosen to sit with Axew, Stunfisk and Palpitoad, instead.

"(Meloetta doesn't wanna sit with _you_ ,)" Piplup said from nearby, "(she wants to sit with _me_.)"

"(No, she doesn't!)" Oshawott snapped. "(She wants to sit with _me_!)"

Pikachu's eyes narrowed.

"(You'd rather sit with _me_ , right, Meloetta?)" Piplup asked.

"(Well...)" Meloetta replied.

"(No, you'd rather sit with _me_ , right?)" Oshawott asked.

"(Um...)"

Pikachu closed his eyes, mentally counting to ten.

Suddenly, someone sighed from beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was Pansage.

"(Those two, I swear...)" he said. "(They're like... combining mints and cola.)"

A tiny smirk worked its way onto Pikachu's mouth. While Pansage's language wasn't quite as flowery as Cilan's, he was still pretty on the mark.

"(Heh, yeah,)" he replied.

"(One ingredient was bad enough on its own... but, combined with another...)"

"(Yeah. Then it's a disaster.)"

"(Acting like children, the both of them.)" Pansage briefly glanced around. "(Say, is Buneary not sitting with you?)"

A spark of fear shot up Pikachu's spine. "(W-Well... we don't have to sit together all the time, right?)"

Pansage shrugged. "(I guess not.)"

Pikachu released a breath of air in relief.

"(She did seem awfully fond of you, though.)"

The spark of fear came back. "(Yeah, well... we're good friends.)"

"(Apparently. Like two peas in a pod... or the perfect icing on a cake!)"

Pikachu rolled his eyes at that.

* * *

The following day, Ash made another rotation, swapping out four of his pokémon for Pignite, Krokorok, Snivy and Scraggy.

Training continued on as normal.

* * *

As the day progressed, it became more and more apparent that Buneary didn't want to hang out with Pikachu.

Every time he'd approach her, she'd hop away. Every time he'd speak to her, she'd make some excuse to leave.

They were friends, right? _Good_ friends. Heck, she'd nuzzled him when they'd met up again.

Then again...

That was back when she'd had a crush on him, right? Back when she'd been thinking of confessing, probably. Now that he'd turned her down...

Did that mean she wasn't interested in talking to him at all now?

His stomach churned at the thought, making him feel ill.

* * *

At dinnertime, Pikachu watched as Buneary completely bypassed him and walked over to sit with Snivy and Emolga.

He kept his gaze on her for a while, wondering.

As the three girls chatted amongst themselves - one smiling, one sniggering and one giving side glances - he felt a small ache in his heart as his eyebrows furrowed.

Yeah. Just as he'd thought.

Turning away, he picked up a pellet and slowly began to nibble on it.

* * *

That night, as Ash slept soundly, Pikachu lay awake on his stomach.

Normally, he'd be excited about the next day's training. Heck, he was pretty sure that Ash said he and Oshawott would be doing the morning session.

So why wasn't he excited?

He glanced at the corner of the room where Dawn's small yellow bag lay. He stared at it for a long moment.

Turning away, he closed his eyes, vowing to ignore it.

It didn't matter. None of it did.

* * *

The next day, something surprising happened. Dawn revealed that she was bored of training. She suggested taking a vacation, instead.

Until that moment, Pikachu hadn't known how much he'd wanted a break. It left him excited. Excited to relax. Excited to unwind.

Ash tried to argue that they had lots of training left to do. Normally, Pikachu would be on board with him, but not today.

His little issue with Buneary was really starting to wear on him.

Eventually, Dawn managed to convince Ash to take the day off and they all hopped on a boat to explore a nearby island.

* * *

... Honestly, Pikachu kind of wished they'd continued their training now.

While being chased around by an angry horde of onix all day had certainly been distracting, it'd been far from fun. All so Ash could see a 'special onix', who'd only turned out to be green. Honestly, the crystal onix in the Orange Islands had been far more impressive.

On the plus side, they'd discovered that Meloetta had a second Forme, quite like Shaymin had, back in Sinnoh. Not that it would make Piplup and Oshawott any less likely to fight over her. Heck, they'd be _more_ likely to do it, now that they knew their prize could switch from psychic-type to fighting-type at will...

Also, Oshawott had managed to learn Hydro Pump, just like he'd said he would. Next, he'd probably learn Ice Beam, just to one-up Piplup some more...

* * *

After the 'special onix' debacle, the humans decided to be more lax with their training. After all, the pokémon had been working really hard already and there were only six more days until the tournament.

Pikachu could hardly wait.

* * *

The days passed by in a blur. One after the other. Ash rotated his pokémon a few times, though less than before.

They found a missing cubchoo. Iris caught a battle-hardened dragonite. Buneary continued to avoid Pikachu.

She seemed to have befriended everyone else on the team - which was good! - but she hadn't shared a conversation with _him_ in days.

"(And then the idiot calls for _another_ poison-type move on me,)" Gastrodon explained, "(despite the pokémon knowing a _grass-type_ move. Which is _super effective_ against _both_ of my types.)"

"(Heh,)" Pikachu replied. "(That sounds like something Ash would do, honestly.)"

Gastrodon gave him a strange look. "(... Your trainer's just as stupid?)"

"(Not stupid. Just... adventurous.)" She continued to stare at him. "(... He prefers fighting against types his pokémon are weak to. It's a challenge.)"

Gastrodon shook her head. "(Unbelievable...)"

Suddenly, there were ground-shaking footsteps. "(You! Woman!)" Dragonite yelled.

Pikachu turned his head to see that the dragon was glaring directly at Garchomp.

She coolly looked up at him from where she was eating. "(Me?)" she asked.

"(Yeah! You!)" He pointed at her aggressively. "(Battle me!)"

There was a tense silence in the area, as everyone watched.

Garchomp's cool gaze didn't falter. "(I'm eating right now.)"

"(I don't care if you're eating!)" He kicked her food bowl to one side, sending the pellets all over the grass. "(Battle me!)"

She continued to stare at him. Then she stood up.

"(Alright, fine.)"

... Oh no.

"Dragonite!" Iris called out. "What are you-?"

Dragonite's fist suddenly crackled with electricity as he launched a Thunder Punch at Garchomp. It struck her square in the chest.

She didn't even flinch.

Raising her claw, which was glowing white, she struck him hard across the face with Brick Break. He went soaring backwards.

Many pokémon had to scramble out of the way, before he crashed to the ground on his back.

"Dragonite!" Iris called out.

Dragonite climbed to his feet. "(Not bad,)" he growled. Opening his mouth, he blasted out a Flamethrower.

Garchomp crossed her fins as the attack struck, obscuring her from view. Once the fire faded, however, she lowered her fins, completely unharmed.

Dragonite growled in frustration. Readying another Thunder Punch, he lifted off the ground and launched himself at her.

Also lifting off, the appendages on Garchomp's head began to glow white. Soaring straight at Dragonite, she was enveloped in the blue light of Dragon Rush.

The two attacks collided in mid-air, causing a huge explosion. From where he was sitting, Pikachu was blown backwards slightly.

When the dust cleared, Dragonite was on his back, heavily bruised. Garchomp was standing over him menacingly.

She began to glow orange.

Pikachu's eyes widened in horror. Oh no.

As the orange light covered Garchomp's body, an orange ball of light appeared by her mouth.

Draco Meteor.

She aimed her head towards the sky.

"Alright, Garchomp, that's enough!" Cynthia called out rather calmly.

Garchomp immediately halted her attack.

Pikachu heaved a sigh of relief, along with everyone else in the area. If Garchomp had used Draco Meteor, then _everybody_ would have probably gotten hurt. Especially since it was far more powerful than that of Ash's gible.

From the floor, Dragonite growled in frustration. He tried to push himself up, but he winced and fell back down. He growled again, cursing up at Garchomp. She cast him one final glance, before she turned and walked away.

His only response was to curse her louder.

* * *

Finally, tomorrow was the day. The day of the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup. Pikachu had been looking forward to it for the past two weeks.

Heck, it probably wasn't even all that big of a deal, really. It wasn't like the Unova League, which would be later and much grander. Still, though, it was a tournament all the same and he loved the thrill of challenges.

"So, Ash," Cynthia said, holding her teacup, "do you know which pokémon you'll be using tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" Ash replied excitedly. "I'm gonna round 'em up tomorrow and then we're gonna win the tournament!"

"(Go, team!)" Pikachu called out from his lap.

"Not before you beat _us_ , you don't!" Iris replied with a smirk.

"(Heck yeah!)" Axew agreed from her lap.

"And don't forget about _us_!" Dawn said, also wearing a smirk.

From her lap, Piplup put his flippers on his hips. "(You got that right!)" he agreed.

"It will be a most delectable competition!" Cilan said. He winked. "Talk of it is already whetting my appetite!"

Meloetta suddenly flew over, smiling. "(Good luck in the tournament, everyone~!)" she said.

Piplup immediately jumped on the table. "(Oh, thank you!)" He smacked a flipper to his chest. "(I'll show you just how impressive I can be!)"

"(I look forward to it!)"

Axew turned to look at Pikachu across the table. "(Good luck, Pikachu!)" he said. "(It'll be fun!)"

Pikachu smiled back. "(Yeah!)" he replied. "(Good luck to your team, too!)"

"(Thanks!)"

As everyone settled down and the humans got back to sipping their tea, Pikachu looked up at the clear evening sky. Stars were just starting to twinkle through the lovely orange hues.

Maybe, once the excitement over the tournament ended, he and Buneary could hang out again, just like old times. Once she'd stopped getting to know the others, anyway. Maybe, by then - since it would have almost been a full two weeks - she'd finally be over him.

Her moves would start working again - if they weren't already, since she hadn't used them in a while - and they'd laugh and talk, just like they used to.

Yeah. Now he _really_ couldn't wait until tomorrow.


	6. Solemn Surprise

Author's note: Heyo!

I'd like to give a shout-out to this Pikachu's new biggest hater: scarcrow151! Give him a round of applause!

... Seriously, though, two haters?! XD Dang, did I make the world's most unlikable Pikachu or something? Surely not!

Well, however you feel about him, he's here and he's POVing, dawg. Maybe he'll improve, maybe he won't. Just don't lynch him before the story's over. XD

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Six** **: Solemn Surprise**

Finally, it was the day of the tournament. Pikachu couldn't contain his excitement, as they drove to Lacunosa Town.

Ash's big plan was to win the first four rounds with Leavanny, Boldore, Krokorok and Pignite, then use Pikachu against Unova Champion Alder. He felt adrenaline pump through his veins in his sheer excitement. Getting to battle a champion, one on one. That wasn't something you did every day!

He couldn't wait.

Dawn, of course, would be using everyone on her team who wasn't Buneary. Cilan would be using the only three pokémon he had and there just weren't enough rounds for Ash to use Oshawott. Not that the otter had seemed to mind this, really.

Iris, however, had decided that she wouldn't be using Axew, Emolga and Excadrill at all. Oddly, she'd opted only to use Dragonite.

Pikachu had no idea why she'd do that. After spending so long training her other three pokémon, she'd chosen to use her newly-caught one, instead. The one who was... a bit unruly, to put it nicely. Granted, he was rather powerful, but still. Was it really the best course of action?

* * *

When they arrived, a slew of familiar faces started popping up everywhere. Why were all the rivals here, too?! Ash's rival, Trip. Iris' rival, Georgia. Even Cilan's rival, Burgundy. Somehow, they'd all ended up at the exact same place at the exact same time.

Freaky.

What was it? A rival arrival day, or something?

Pikachu paused at his accidental pun. Huh. That had sounded like something Buneary would say. Being as odd as she was.

He quickly shook his head. Gosh, now he was even starting to sound like her...

* * *

The tournament progressed, opening with an exhibition match between Cynthia and Caitlin of the Unova Elite Four.

It was a spectacular match between Cynthia's garchomp and Caitlin's gothitelle. Pikachu couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever get to fight either of them for real one day. They were certainly very strong, so they'd no doubt be very hard to beat.

After ten minutes, the exhibition match ended in a draw. Then the floor was handed over to the sixteen combatants and their one-on-one matches.

It was time.

* * *

The tournament raged on, with Ash, Dawn, Iris and Cilan rising through the ranks. Clearly, all their training was paying off.

The one to beat, though, was Trip's serperior. He seemed to have a winning strategy to wipe the floor with his opponents, using Leer and Solar Beam. Apparently, Serperior was so well trained that his Leer could lower both defence _and_ special defence! That was insane!

Pikachu remembered one of his own moves from a while back: Agility. If he trained hard enough, could he raise both his speed _and_ his evasion? Maybe he'd have to try that, one day! He could dodge around his opponents _and_ get the first hit!

That was certainly something to aspire to.

* * *

Dragonite was being stubborn. _Very_ stubborn.

Sure, he was strong. Ridiculously strong - Pikachu could admit that - but he seemed to have serious trouble following orders. He seemed to want to tank every hit, especially if it was ice-type, despite Iris constantly yelling at him to dodge.

The aspiring dragon master would have her work cut out for her here, for sure...

* * *

A while later, after a lot of excitement and battling, the tournament they'd trained the last two weeks for finally ended.

Pikachu was pouting.

It wasn't because they'd done badly, though. No, Ash's team had done really well! Leavanny, Boldore and Krokorok had gotten them through to the finals, with Krokorok even evolving into a krookodile to defeat Iris' dragonite. Because Pignite had lost to Trip's serperior, though, Pikachu had never gotten his chance to battle Alder.

Instead, Serperior had battled him and lost spectacularly. So much so that Trip had been force-fed a large slice of humble pie. Which was nice and all, but Pikachu still wished he'd been able to battle Alder's bouffalant...

On the plus side, he supposed, their team had done better than everyone else's. Cilan had managed to use all three of his pokémon, once each, whereas Dawn had only gotten to use Piplup and Mamoswine, out of the five she'd planned on.

So it wasn't all bad, he supposed.

After leaving the tournament area, congratulating Trip and running into a very scatterbrained boy named Cameron - and his exasperated riolu - the group climbed into Cynthia's limousine and headed back to Undella Town.

* * *

On the journey back, Ash made a request to stop by the pokémon centre and swap out his pokémon.

Once he was done rotating out Leavanny and Boldore for Snivy and Scraggy, they continued on towards Cynthia's villa.

* * *

The sun was getting low in the sky when they finally returned.

It had been a fun tournament, for sure, but Pikachu was ready to relax. Maybe he should talk to Buneary tomorrow. By now, she'd probably had enough cool-down time and they could chat and hang out, just like they used to. Heck, if she'd missed any tournament details while being in her pokéball, he'd be happy to fill her in!

... Wait. What had Dawn just said?

Time they... got on their way?

"So are you two heading back to Sinnoh?" Iris asked.

Holding Piplup in her arms, Dawn smiled. "No, Johto," she replied. She turned to look up at the sky. "There's a contest being held there soon."

"The Wallace Cup!" Ash said excitedly.

Pikachu forced a smile. "(O-Oh yeah!)" he added.

So she was leaving. For Johto. Really soon, by the sounds of things...

He zoned out as Dawn started explaining the Wallace Cup to Cilan and Iris. Well. This was it, he supposed. Ash and Dawn were going to part ways again. He'd wanted to spend some time with Buneary after the tournament, but that no longer looked possible.

Despite the aching in his heart, he tried to hold his smile for the coordinator. Even wishing her good luck. She was, after all, following her dream.

Thinking about it, though, Buneary had even mentioned that they needed a fifth ribbon for the Hoenn Grand Festival, which they could easily get from a Wallace Cup. No matter which region the Wallace Cup was held in. That was the beauty of that particular ribbon.

Still, though, it hurt to know that Dawn had waited until the last minute to tell them that she was leaving. Couldn't she have told them sooner?

"Hold on!" Ash said. "Before you go, let's have a battle."

... Oh right. The battle that Dawn had promised Ash two weeks ago.

"Pleeease?" Ash continued.

"(Uh, yeah!)" Pikachu added hastily.

He couldn't deny that the thought of finally getting to battle her was exciting. Especially since he hadn't been able to battle in the tournament that he'd been looking forward to for so long.

Hoping to be chosen for the battle, he put on his best game face. Strangely, though, it felt oddly forced.

He tried to ignore this.

* * *

Thankfully, Ash had indeed chosen Pikachu to battle. It had been an intense match between him and Quilava.

Unfortunately, because the two of them had shown slight signs of fatigue, Cynthia had called it a draw. He supposed it was because it was late and she was concerned about their health, but still.

Dang it...

* * *

Later that night, everyone was eating dinner and saying their goodbyes to Dawn's team. Strangely, Piplup and Oshawott were avoiding each other, while Meloetta ate over by the humans. Not that Pikachu was complaining, though. It was very quiet without all the squabbling.

A quick glance around told him where Buneary was. She was sitting with a group of her new friends, chatting animatedly.

He watched her for a few moments.

Yeah. He should probably say goodbye, at least. He took one step forward, his food bowl in his paws. Oddly, the walk felt very stilted. Very awkward. He took another step. A hollow feeling entered his chest.

Stubbornly shaking it off, he walked faster.

Stopping by Buneary, he smiled down at her. "(Hey,)" he said.

She looked up at him in surprise. "(Oh...)" she replied, "(hey...)"

"(Mind if I sit here?)"

"(No... go ahead.)"

"(Thanks.)" He sat down. "(... So, uh... you guys are leaving tomorrow.)"

"(Yup.)"

"(We'll, uh... see each other again, though! Just like _this_ time!)"

"(Yeah! Yeah.)" Looking down, Buneary fidgeted with a pellet in her paws.

Next to her, Snivy raised an eyebrow. "(... Are you alright, Buneary?)" she asked.

"(Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.)"

"(... Huh,)" Emolga said. She stuffed a pellet in her mouth. "(Yuh, you're actin' weird now.)"

Pikachu blinked. Weird?

"(A-Anyway!)" Buneary said. "(Like I said... we won the Sinnoh Wallace Cup...)" She grinned. "(So here's hoping we win the Johto one, too!)"

"(Yeah!)" Glaceon said happily. "(Good luck to you all!)" She gave a determined smirk. "(Knock 'em dead!)"

Buneary chuckled. "(Not literally, I hope!)"

Glaceon laughed, still smirking. "(What if I _do_ mean literally?)"

Buneary chuckled again. "(Oh dear!)"

Something suddenly felt lighter in Pikachu's chest. He couldn't explain it, though. Maybe it was the fact that Buneary looked so cheerful now? But she'd looked cheerful before. Then again, she was actually talking to him now. Maybe that was it?

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it too hard.

Instead, he glanced at the only member of their little group who hadn't said anything yet.

Oshawott was fiddling with a pellet in his paws, looking somewhat put-off. After a few moments, he turned his head and looked into the distance. Looking back down, he continued fidgeting with the pellet.

Not long afterwards, he did it again.

Curious, Pikachu followed his line of vision. It led him straight to where Piplup, Pachirisu, Axew, Scraggy and Pansage were sitting.

"(Are... you okay, Oshawott?)" he asked.

Oshawott jumped, turning back around with lightning speed and wide eyes. "(Huh?!)" he said.

"(You've been staring in Piplup's direction.)" Not angrily, either, which was the strangest thing.

Oshawott made a few indignant huffing noises. "(I'm... not gonna miss him, if that's what you're thinking!)" He glanced back at Piplup.

"(Uh huh...)"

Snivy heaved a sigh. "(He's been doing this for ages now,)" she said.

Oshawott turned back around, frowning. "(I have not!)" he replied.

"(Yeah, you have,)" Emolga said. She sniggered. "(You in love with him, or something?)"

"(What?! No!)" Oshawott hit his paw against his chest. "(I am a ladies' man!)"

Snivy rolled her eyes. "(You wish you were...)" she replied.

Emolga sniggered harder.

"(... Well, uh, anyway...)" Pikachu said, turning to Buneary, "(good luck in the Wallace Cup!)"

She gave him a gentle smile that, for some reason, caused a sting in his chest. "(Thanks,)" she replied.

"(N-No problem...)"

Ignore it. All he had to do was ignore it.

* * *

Today was the day.

Everyone was down by the pier, waiting by the plane. It would be ready to take off soon, on its way to Blackthorn City in Johto.

This reminded Pikachu of last time. Back at the end of their Sinnoh journey, Ash and Brock had gotten on a boat and left Dawn behind. Left her to attend Buneary's photo shoot with Paris and Hermione.

Now, though, it was the other way around.

As pleasantries were exchanged between the humans, Pikachu couldn't help but wonder when the next time they'd see Dawn would be. Another several months? Well, he supposed it was inevitable at this point, but he wished it didn't have to be.

Sometimes, friends just... parted ways.

He tried to hold his smile throughout the entire conversation. Tried to stay positive. They'd see each other again! Ash was sure of it, Dawn was sure of it, so why shouldn't _he_ be sure of it, too?

He barely paid attention as Piplup got teary-eared over leaving Meloetta. It didn't matter, anyway. Neither him nor Oshawott probably had any chance with her, anyway.

Speaking of Oshawott, the otter suddenly popped out of his pokéball, demanding to speak to Piplup. The penguin jumped down from Dawn's arms in response.

The two glared at one another heatedly.

Oshawott cracked first, getting teary-eyed. Then Piplup did, too. They hugged one another, getting emotional and saying they'd miss each other. Huh. It was just like that day in Sinnoh, when Piplup had gone on a temper tantrum, before breaking down and hugging Pikachu.

Breaking apart, they gave each other a determined frown.

"(We'll see each other again, alright?)" Piplup said.

Oshawott nodded. "(Yeah!)" he replied. "(For sure!)"

Huh. Even these two were saying it now.

Maybe they _would_ , then. No, he was _sure_ they would! There was no way they wouldn't, right? It had happened before, so it would happen again!

Then he could see more of Buneary - plus his other friends, of course - and Oshawott could see more of Piplup.

Hopefully, they wouldn't be fighting over a girl _next_ time, too.

More than that, though, he hoped that Buneary would be okay the next time he saw her. Not to mention, maybe, _this_ time - after some time away in Johto and Hoenn - she'd finally be over him. Finally over her crush that she'd stubbornly kept for so long. Kept since the day he'd met her.

Maybe... she'd even start liking someone else.

His mouth twisted slightly, but he kept his smile.

* * *

That was it. Dawn was gone.

As her plane flew further away into the sky - to the sound of a goodbye song from Meloetta - Pikachu couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

Thankfully, he'd been able to say goodbye to all of his Sinnoh friends the night before, but something still ached inside of him. Perhaps it was the fact that he wasn't getting to say it a second time, here on the pier, but he supposed that was understandable. Much like with Ash and the boat back in Sinnoh, Dawn had left it rather late to get on the plane.

Still... a part of him wished things could have been different.

Before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer, a cry from Cameron distracted him.

* * *

After the group had finally convinced Cameron that, no, the Unova League wasn't being held in Johto and, yes, he needed an eighth gym badge to actually get into the league, Ash asked if he could follow him to Humilau City to watch his gym battle.

Pikachu thought this whole thing was rather sudden. A trek to another city, right after Dawn had left?

... On the other hand, maybe it would be good for him to go on a trek elsewhere. Nothing cleared the head better than a walk, after all. Especially a long one, from town to town.

Yeah. Yeah! It would most definitely be good for him!

... Maybe it would even help get rid of this stupid empty feeling in his chest...


	7. Distant Doldrums

Author's note: Hey, paisanos!

Before you ask, no, this chapter is not the end. I mean, you can pretend it is in an alternate universe, if you like. XP The bittersweet, nothing-gets-resolved ending.

For the more complete version, however, be sure to stay tuned!

In the meantime, hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven** **: Distant Doldrums**

Buneary felt herself being pulled from her pokéball, molecule by molecule. Back in the wild, she'd often wondered if the sensation would hurt or feel weird at all. In reality, it was pretty relaxing. Like a massage, almost. Of the molecules, as weird as that sounded.

As she materialised on the concrete - along with her teammates - she looked around herself. They were standing around the back of a building that definitely wasn't Cynthia's villa. In fact, it looked like a pokémon centre.

Dawn stood in front of them, hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

"Alright, guys," she said cheerily, "as you can see, we're finally in Blackthorn City!"

Some of the pokémon had looks of awe on their faces.

Ah... so they were in Johto now, were they? Well, that explained that...

"Tomorrow's the day we start training for the Wallace Cup! Are you excited?"

"(Yeah!)" everyone cheered. Buneary tried to sound enthusiastic as she joined in.

Dawn glanced behind the group briefly, a cheeky smile on her face, before looking back at them. "Buuuut, as for today..." She winked. "I made you all a special treat!"

"(Treat?)" several of the pokémon asked.

"Yep!" She indicated behind the team. "Alright, Piplup, do your thing!"

"(Finally!)" Piplup replied exasperatedly from behind them.

Turning around, Buneary saw Piplup dragging a huge tarp off a large mound. Once the penguin pulled it all the way off, her eyes widened. Wow. Pink poffins. So many pink poffins. Plates and plates of them! They hadn't been given these in a while. Was Dawn treating them?

"(Poffiiiins!)" Pachirisu yelled, dashing towards them as fast as his two legs would carry him.

... Seriously, how was he able to run faster on two legs than on four? It broke the laws of physics! That would be like if Buneary was faster at walking than hopping!

"(Hey!)" Piplup yelled, running for a plate. "(I called dibs fiiiirst!)"

Heh. Those two had always been huge fans of Dawn's poffins.

Buneary made her way over to one of the plates, hopping past the huge one that was meant for Mamoswine. The mammoth always ate a ton more than everyone else and had never been good at sharing, so hey.

Landing in front of a plate, she picked up one of the poffins and bit into it. Mmmm... delicious. It was like eating a tiny cake. Except with a chewy outer layer.

It was mostly sweet, with a sour aftertaste, and a little bit of every other flavour. She liked it a lot. Not as much as Piplup and Pachirisu, but certainly a lot.

It could never compete with oran berries, though. Those were her favourites. A perfect balance of every flavour. She also loved sitrus berries, as they were very similar, but didn't have the spicy taste.

... Spicy.

Pikachu's favourite flavour was spicy...

She plucked off another poffin, slowly sitting herself down. She stared intently at it. Bright pink with little coloured sprinkles on top.

It had been... how many days? She counted.

... Eleven? Eleven days?

Eleven days since she'd put her plan into action. Her plan of being normal.

Not normal- _type_ , obviously, since she'd _always_ be that. She'd been born one, raised one and she'd probably die one.

No. The day she'd bottled up all of her quirks. The day she'd been calm. Mild. Pleasant.

... Normal.

Her plan had been simple. Be normal around Pikachu and he'd soon come to miss her quirky randomness. Because he liked it, right? There was no way he didn't, right? So he'd say it was okay to be herself, she'd drop the act and then something something happiness!

Except... her being normal had somehow made him happier.

He'd smiled more. Talked more. Seemed much more keen to spend time with her. It had been painful to see.

So he really didn't like her weirdness, after all...

... Heh. Well... at least she'd made plenty of friends during her time in Unova. She hadn't come away empty-handed. Or empty-pawed, as the case may be. So that was something.

* * *

The following day, the pokémon had a light breakfast. Soon after, they were lined up, ready to start training.

Dawn looked all six of them over with a thoughtful frown.

"Hmm..." she said. Eventually, her gaze landed on Buneary. It lingered there. After a moment, she smiled gently. "Hey, Buneary? What do you think? Are you up for training?"

The other five pokémon turned in the rabbit's direction.

"(Uh...)" Buneary replied. Well, she'd had plenty of rest up until now, so maybe things would be alright now. She smiled back. "(Yeah! Sure, let's do it!)"

Dawn's smile brightened. "Okay then! Everyone, clear a space!"

The other pokémon shuffled around, until they were all out of Buneary's way.

"Alright then, Buneary! Are you ready?"

Buneary gave a determined nod. "(Ready!)" She turned away from Dawn.

"Okay! Ice Beam!"

Buneary concentrated. She built up energy inside of her, felt the cold chill run all the way up her veins into her mouth. She felt it forming a ball.

... Then it stalled.

She poured more energy into it, willing it to grow in size and power. It did so, but very slowly. It felt like, if she let up for even a second, it would shrink again.

Frustrated, she poured even more energy into it. More. More. It grew slightly each time, but it was a struggle. She kept going.

"... Buneary?"

She kept going and going and going, desperately willing it to work. She wanted to use Ice Beam, darn it! She really wanted to!

Sweat began to dribble down the side of her head.

Dawn yelped in panic. "Okay, okay, Buneary, that's enough! You can stop now!"

She immediately let go of the Ice Beam. It disappeared into nothing.

"... Still no good, huh?"

Buneary heaved a sigh, wiping away the sweat. Yeah. Still no good. This was definitely the longest her moves had gone without working properly. Fourteen freaking days...

Dawn also heaved a sigh. "Man... you've been sick for two weeks now... I really wish I knew what was wrong..."

Buneary glanced away, not saying anything.

After a moment, she glanced back, only to see that Dawn had her wrists on her hips. She looked concerned.

"Maybe I should get Nurse Joy to have a look at you..."

Buneary laughed nervously. "(Y-You don't need to do that... I'm sure my moves'll come back in no time! You'll see!)"

"Hmm..." Dawn glanced away unsurely. "I just wish Ash had told me more about Sceptile..."

Ah, yes. Sceptile. She knew next to nothing about the guy - except that he was apparently strong enough to defeat a darkrai - but, from what she'd heard, he'd had the same problem.

Perhaps that meganium Ash had mentioned had rejected him, too...

"Argh!" Dawn suddenly cried out, gripping her head in frustration. "If only I'd thought to ask Ash to send Sceptile over, or something! Then he could have talked to you and... and..." She slumped with another sigh. "But it didn't occur to me..."

Buneary laughed awkwardly. Honestly, that was probably a good thing...

Dawn slowly looked up. "... Then again, it sounds like he had a different problem to you, anyway..." She sighed again. "I just don't know..."

Buneary couldn't help but feel bad for her trainer. As well as a bit guilty over the whole thing.

"Either way, I think we should see Nurse Joy."

Buneary's eyes widened. "(N-No, that's not really-)"

Before she could finish, Dawn stepped forward, scooped her into her arms and headed towards the pokémon centre.

Oh boy...

* * *

A while of examinations later, Buneary was being carried back over to Dawn.

"So, how is she, Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked anxiously.

"Your buneary is fit as a fiddle," Nurse Joy replied, placing Buneary on the counter. "I'm afraid I couldn't find anything wrong with her."

"But... but then why aren't her moves working?"

"Hmm... it's very rare that I see this in a pokémon, so I'm not actually sure..."

Dawn slumped. "You're not?"

"No... though I'd suggest keeping her happy and healthy and well rested... and she should be alright again soon enough."

"Well... okay then." Dawn picked up Buneary. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."

* * *

"(There's... nothing wrong with her?)" Piplup asked.

All five of Buneary's teammates shot her suspicious glances. She chuckled nervously.

"Nope!" Dawn replied. "But no need to worry! Nurse Joy thinks she just needs to rest some more!" She looked up at Mamoswine. "In the meantime... Mamoswine, do you wanna do some training?"

The mammoth looked up at Dawn, back down at Buneary, then up at Dawn again. "(... Yeah, sure,)" he replied.

Dawn beamed. "Alright then!" She looked over at Buneary, her smile softening slightly. "Get well soon, Buneary, okay?"

Buneary smiled back. "(Y-Yeah, sure!)" she replied.

"And, if there's anything I can do to make it better, well... you just say so, okay?"

Buneary nodded. "(Yeah! Sure!)"

As Dawn moved elsewhere to train Mamoswine, Buneary could feel her teammates' eyes on her again.

As she looked at them, Piplup put his flippers on his hips. "(Alright, what's going on?)" he asked.

"(Yeah!)" Pachirisu added, looking hurt. "(You said you were sick!)" He scrunched his eyes in distress. "(You said you were sick, so we let you rest, but you weren't sick at all?!)"

"(Well...)" Buneary replied awkwardly.

"(What made your moves stop workin'?)" Quilava asked, tilting his head curiously. "(D'ya even know?)"

Buneary didn't know what to say.

"(... Dear?)" Togekiss asked.

... Then again, maybe it would be okay. Maybe it would help her. Plus, if she was going to tell them, it was much better doing it in Johto than Unova.

She heaved a sigh. Holding the silence, she composed herself.

"(Buneary?)" Piplup asked.

Straightening herself out, she smiled. "(Hey,)" she said. "(You know I confessed to Pikachu, right?)"

Everyone jolted in shock.

"(You did?!)" they all cried at once.

"(Yeah! And I asked him out, too!)"

"(No way!)" Pachirisu cried, his mouth open wide in shock.

Buneary glanced at Togekiss, who was slowly raising a wing to her mouth. Ah. It seemed she'd already figured it out.

"(It's about freaking time you did!)" Piplup said. "(... So, what did he say?)"

"(Yeah, what did he say?!)" Pachirisu cried. He rushed forwards, until he was right in her face. He hopped up and down, looking strangely distressed. "(What did he say, what did he say?!)"

Buneary leaned back slightly in surprise. "(Uh, well...)" she replied.

Quilava smiled. "(C'mon, Buneary, don't leave us hangin'!)" he said.

Taking a step back from Pachirisu, Buneary cleared her throat. "(... Well, he...)" She gave them a sheepish smile. "(He rejected me.)"

Piplup leapt back in shock. "(What?!)" he cried.

Removing her wing from her mouth, Togekiss looked down at the ground sadly.

Quilava stared at her, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "(... He what?)" he asked slowly.

Pachirisu looked a mixture between shocked and offended.

Buneary's smile faltered for a second, so she forced into back into place. "(Yeah,)" she replied. "(I thought for sure he liked me, but I guess not, huh?)"

Piplup violently shook his head. "(Wait, wait, wait!)" he said. "(Really?)"

"(Yeah. Really!)"

"(But that doesn't make any sense!)"

"(Yeah, he liked her, right?)" Quilava asked, looking very lost.

"(Apparently not!)" Buneary replied.

"(I knew it!)" Pachirisu cried, scrunching his eyes in anger. "(I freaking knew it!)" He opened his eyes, frowning at her. "(I told you, didn't I? I told you!)"

"(Huh?)" Piplup asked. "(Told her what?)"

"(That he was no good for her!)" Pachirisu jumped up and down irritably. "(I told you, I told you, I told you!)"

"(But...)" Quilava said, looking lost and hurt.

"(I told you to go for someone else! I told you! But did you listen? Noooo!)"

"(Aheh...)" Buneary replied, smiling awkwardly.

"(He's stupid and a jerk and... and... dumb!)" Pachirisu pouted. "(Stupid, dumb jerk!)"

"(He's not _that_ bad!)" Piplup said.

"(... He's still a jerk.)"

Togekiss heaved a sigh. "(I'm so sorry, dear...)" she said to Buneary. "(I _thought_ something strange was going on, but I...)" She glanced away.

"(I-It's okay!)" Buneary replied, her smile straining. "(Really, it is!)"

Togekiss lowered her head sadly. "(Still...)"

"(I really don't get it...)" Piplup muttered to himself. "(I thought for sure he...)"

"(He didn't, 'cause he's a jerk!)" Pachirisu replied.

"(But he hung out with Buneary all the time! And played with _you_ all the time!)"

Pachirisu stalled. "(Yeah, well...!)"

"(... So ya never had a chance?)" Quilava asked quietly.

Buneary gave him a sad smile. "(Nope, 'fraid not,)" she replied.

They all looked at her solemnly.

"(... Is _that_ why your moves haven't been workin'?)" Quilava asked.

"(Yeah... 'fraid so.)" Buneary rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

Piplup looked at the ground. After a moment, he scrunched his eyes in frustration. "(Urgh!)" he said. "(I can't believe I didn't freaking notice!)"

Togekiss placed a comforting wing on his shoulder. "(It's alright, dear,)" she said. "( _We_ didn't notice, either...)"

"(Hey, so why didn't you tell us in Univol?!)" Pachirisu asked.

"(Unova,)" Togekiss corrected.

"(Yeah! That! Why didn't you tell us then?!)" Pachirisu looked up at Buneary with sad eyes.

"(... 'Cause...)" Buneary replied, "('cause I knew how you guys would take it. You'd probably yell at him, or hit him, or-)"

"(Well, yeah, 'cause he made you sad!)"

"(Yeah... well...)" She felt her ears droop. "(He doesn't _have_ to like me.)" Everyone looked at her curiously. "(Well, he... he doesn't have to like me at all! So, if he doesn't wanna, then... then that's okay!)"

They all gave her sad looks. After a moment, they all rushed forward, embracing her in a hug. She jumped at the surprise contact.

She blinked. "(... Guys?)"

"(You stupid, stupid... dummy!)" Pachirisu said.

"(... Pikachu doesn't know what he's saying,)" Piplup mumbled.

"(Yeah, you're great!)" Quilava agreed.

"(I'm sorry he doesn't return your feelings...)" Togekiss said.

"(Th-That's... okay,)" Buneary replied.

"(He's a stupid dummy!)" Pachrisu said. "(I never saw why you liked him!)" He paused. "(Well... I guess he's nice... and kind and stuff... but...)"

"(Too stubborn,)" Quilava said.

"(Stuck in his ways, I guess...)" Piplup mumbled.

"(Yeah...)" Buneary replied, still too stunned to say much.

Eventually, they all broke away from the hug.

Piplup smiled at her. "(Hey,)" he said, "(I've got an idea. How about I get Dawn to take us shopping?)"

Buneary's eyes widened. "(Shopping?)"

"(Yeah! You like shopping, right? Maybe it'll cheer you up!)"

Pachirisu jumped up and down. "(That's a great idea!)" he said.

"(Yeah,)" Quilava agreed, nodding, "(sounds cool.)"

Togekiss stepped forward. "(It might be just what you need to... get over him, dear,)" she said.

Buneary looked between the four eager faces. They were all trying so hard to cheer her up. Did they... actually _like_ her weirdness?

After some contemplation, a smile spread across her face. "(Yeah, you know what?)" she said. "(I _do_ wanna go shopping!)" She put her paws to her face. "(We'll shop 'til we drop and hop 'til we pop, or... something.)"

All four of them chuckled.

She smiled wider. Maybe they really _did_ like her weirdness! "(I want some accessories! Maybe a bow for my hair!)" She paused. "(Wait, I don't have hair... How about my ear?! Shall I get pink? Maybe blue? Maybe one of each? One for each ear!)"

They all laughed harder.

Stepping forward, Piplup placed a flipper on her shoulder. "(If you ask nicely, maybe Dawn will get you both,)" he said. He stepped away. "(Now...)" He smacked the same flipper to his chest. "(I'm off to talk to her!)"

"(As best a pokémon can?)"

"(... Yes.)" He headed towards their trainer.

Glancing after him, Buneary saw a knowing look from Mamoswine. Ah. Perhaps he'd heard the entire conversation. Well, that saved her a second explanation, at least.

... Still, she felt herself beaming wider with every second.

She was lucky to have friends like these.


	8. Polar Parallels

Author's note: Heya, guys!

Well, we're back with more waters that are shallow! If you can stand in a puddle full of said waters and not get your feet wet... then you're in the right place! Haha, references.

Anyway! I started a new PokéPark fic, if anybody's interested! It's called 'Smile for Me' and it has nothing at all to do with my other PokéPark fics! All the same, I'm excited to write it if people are excited to read it!

And hey, if I don't advertise it, you fine folks probably won't know it exists.

Well, with that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Eight** **: Polar Parallels**

Pikachu was glad to be heading back to Undella Town.

The trip was supposed to have been easy. Follow Cameron to Humilau City, watch his gym battle, leave. They could have easily gotten it all done in a single day.

But _ohhh_ no.

Ash and Cameron had gotten lost, meaning that they - plus Pikachu, Riolu and Meloetta - had been forced to spend the night in a cave, with no idea where Iris and Cilan had been.

... If only Pikachu had been paying attention, he could have directed Ash the right way. Instead, while sitting on his shoulder, he'd blindly let his trainer lead the way.

The gym battle had been fun, though! He'd never expected Cameron to do so well. Though, apparently, smacking himself with his own headband was the guy's 'secret weapon' of sorts.

How very odd.

Either way, he'd won his wave badge, they'd all congratulated him and then he and Ash had parted ways. No doubt they'd see him again in the Unova League.

... Well, if he managed to show up on the right day, anyway.

"Can't I walk alongside you guys?" Ash griped, looking backwards at Iris and Clian.

"No!" Iris replied, annoyed. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, or else you'll get lost!"

"Come on, that was one time!"

"You're such a kid, I wouldn't be surprised if you did it again! Even _without_ Cameron!"

"(Yeah, you're hopeless!)" Axew said happily.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked, turning away with a pout.

"Though you and Cameron were a perfect match of ingredients..." Cilan said, "I'll admit that the end result was a bit of a... risky meal?"

"You got that right," Iris agreed haughtily. She paused a moment. "It's like... it's really tasty... but it's bad for your health, or... something."

Silence followed her comment.

Curious, Pikachu shifted position to sneak a glance behind him. Interestingly, he could see Cilan staring at Iris in complete awe.

She looked up at him uncomfortably. "... What? Did I say something wrong?"

The connoisseur snapped to attention. "O-Oh! No, of course not!" He beamed. "Your metaphors are cooked to perfection!"

Iris blushed slightly, mumbling under her breath.

With a small huff of amusement, Pikachu turned away again. He noticed that Ash was still pouting to himself.

After a moment, Meloetta floated alongside them.

"(Oh, that gym battle was so much fun!)" she said.

Pikachu smiled at her. "(Yeah, it was!)" he replied.

"(It was just as exciting as the tournament!)" She wiggled around in joy. "(Are battles always this much fun to watch?)"

"(Heck yeah! They're even more fun to be a part of!)" He paused. "(Though you sound like you don't watch many battles.)"

"(Not really. Where I come from, it's very peaceful. There's no 'tournaments' or 'gym battles'.)"

Pikachu suddenly remembered a theory of Cilan's about Meloetta's home being in the ocean.

"(... Where _do_ you come from, anyway?)"

Meloetta giggled. "(Like I said... it's a seeeecret~!)"

Ah, darn it. She'd caught him out...

* * *

Buneary squinted her eyes, scrutinising every little detail of her reflection.

"(Hmmm...)" she said. Scratching her chin, she leaned in closer. "(Hmmmmmm...)" She held the pose for a moment. Turning away, she inspected the back of the dress. "(Hmm...)" Turning again, she inspected the front. "(Hmm...)" Then the left side. Then the right side. Eventually, she turned to her friends with a pout. "(I don't think black's my colour.)"

Piplup put his flippers to his hips contemplatively. "(Yeah, I guess not,)" he replied. "(You suit much brighter colours.)"

"(Yeah!)" Pachirisu agreed, nodding his head vigorously. "(They match your colourful, vibrant personality!)"

Buneary giggled. "(Daww, thanks~!)" she replied.

The squirrel hopped up and down. "(Try the next one on, try the next one on!)"

"(Okay, okay~)"

As Buneary hopped away from the mirror to grab another dress, she looked over in Dawn's direction. The coordinator was currently browsing the hair products section with a delightful glee in her eyes. When she turned around, they locked gazes. Dawn smiled and waved. Buneary happily returned the gesture.

It was a shame about the other three pokémon not being here, but she understood. Mamoswine had been too large to enter any of the stores. Quilava and Togekiss had tried their best to keep up with the shopping spree, but had found it to be too exhausting. Instead, they'd gone back to their pokéballs for a rest. She appreciated their effort, though! After all, they'd done it all for her sake!

After putting on a yellow sundress and matching yellow hat, she posed in front of the mirror.

"(Hmm...)" she said. She turned this way and that, inspecting the dress. "(Not bad...)"

"(Pretty!)" Pachirisu said. "(Next one, next one!)"

"(Slow down there, jeez...)" Piplup said. "(It looks nice, Buneary.)"

"(Thanks!)" Buneary replied, tugging on the hat slightly.

"(Your fur suits a lot of colours, I've noticed.)"

"(Yeah, yeah!)" Pachirisu agreed. "(Brown goes with anything!)"

"(And brown with cream? A match made in heaven.)"

Buneary turned to them, beaming. "(Like chocolate and cream!)" she replied.

They paused, staring at her.

"(... You know, 'cause chocolate's brown and cream's... well, cream!)"

Piplup sighed with a smile, while Pachirisu giggled.

"(Sounds tasty!)" the squirrel said.

Buneary giggled back. "(Don't eat me, though! I'm not tasty!)"

"(Okay, I won't! Now, try on the other dresses! Come on, come on!)"

"(Okay, okay~! Cool your jets, mister!)"

"(My jets are plenty cool!)"

Piplup sighed again. "(About as cool as an oven...)" he said.

* * *

As Ash stepped through the trees, Pikachu smiled. He was honestly glad to be back at Cynthia's villa.

Granted, they wouldn't stay here forever. Inevitably, they'd have to leave once they found out the location of the Unova League, but, for now, it was a nice little respite from travelling.

Plus, it was much better than being lost in a forest late at night.

When Cynthia spotted them, she came rushing over, her eyes wide. "There you are," she said. "Where have you three been?"

Ash put a hand behind his head and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, Cynthia," he replied. "We got lost in the forest."

"You mean _you_ got lost in the forest," Iris corrected irritably.

Ash ignored her. "But we got to watch Cameron battle Marlon of the Humilau Gym! It was awesome!"

"Yes, it was a pretty spicy gym battle!" Cilan added. "An excellent blend of strategy and teamwork!"

Cynthia let out a breath. "I see," she replied. "Jervis and I were worried." She gave them a concerned gaze. "After seeing off your friend, you left for Humilau City and never came back. We wondered where you'd gone."

Ash chuckled again. "Whoops..." he replied.

"Whoops, indeed..." Iris grumbled.

... Seeing off their friend.

Pikachu glanced out across the villa's grounds. It would be so much emptier now, without Dawn and her team. Sure, their group was rather large, but it was down seven people now.

... He wondered what they were doing right now. Probably training for the Wallace Cup.

His thoughts drifted to a brown and cream figure. He shook his head vigorously.

No. He couldn't think about that anymore. She was gone. She'd left. She was approaching new horizons and he probably wouldn't see her again for a long time. That was how it usually went, travelling around with Ash.

... Now, it should be even easier for her to get over him.

He'd wanted her to do it while she'd been in Hoenn, but that clearly hadn't worked. Instead, he'd been forced to take a more direct approach. To deal with the issue himself.

... Well, maybe now she'd be convinced. Once she'd spent some time away, had the chance to reflect on his words and not have to see his face, she'd get over him. Then, one day, they could go back to being friends.

Yeah... friends...

* * *

Buneary did a twirl in front of her friends. "(Well?)" she asked. "(What do you guys think?)"

They both looked at her in awe.

"(It looks great!)" Pachirisu cried. "(So pretty!)"

Piplup nodded enthusiastically. "(It's very you,)" he agreed.

"(Hee, thanks~!)" Buneary replied.

Suddenly, Dawn walked over, a basket full of hair products on her arm. "So!" she said happily. "How is it going over here?"

Buneary waved her arms, to try and get her attention. "(Look, Dawn, look!)"

"Hmm?" Dawn looked over. Her eyes sparkled at what she saw. "Oh my gosh, that's so adorable!" She beamed. "That looks great on you, Buneary!"

"(Hee, doesn't it?)"

Buneary twirled on the spot. The skirt of her dress flowed majestically around her waist fluff.

"So elegant!" Dawn paused a moment. "You know, it looks kinda like my contest dress!"

Buneary blinked. She turned back to the mirror to get a good look at it.

Huh. Actually, it did! Dawn's was light pink and covered in dark pink ribbons, whereas Buneary's was pure white and covered in pale blue ribbons. She'd also tied a pale blue ribbon to each of her ears to match.

She turned back to Dawn and beamed. "(... Hey, you know what? You're right!)"

Dawn giggled. "Would you like that dress, Buneary?"

The rabbit's eyes widened in delight. "(Really? I can have it?)"

"I'll even buy you those orange ribbons from earlier, if you want! They'll look great with your vest!"

Buneary's smile widened. "(Oh, yes please!)"

"Okay then~!" Dawn put her free wrist on her hip, looking satisfied. "Then I'll call this a successful shopping trip!"

"(Yeah!)" the three pokémon responded in synch.

Buneary couldn't stop smiling as she took off the dress.

* * *

Lounging on the beach, Pikachu leaned back against the rock wall, his hands behind his head, and watched all of his friends having fun together. Some were swimming in the ocean, some were building sandcastles and others were napping in the summer sun.

Since the pokémon had done so well in the tournament, they'd been allowed a break. Time to unwind and relax. After all, they'd spent almost an entire two weeks doing nothing but training. Their only breaks hadn't exactly been a vacation.

As he continued to watch his friends enjoy themselves, it again struck him how much the number of pokémon had diminished. True, it had only been by six, but it felt like a much bigger number, somehow.

Somehow, it felt much lonelier without them here...

He shook his head. No, he was being silly. Dawn had dreams to follow, so it was only natural that she'd left, the same way that Misty, Tracey, May, Max and even Brock had done. It was ridiculous to expect her to stay longer than she needed to.

... Still, though. It was a shame they'd had to leave so soon. Especially since they'd never actually _had_ a vacation with the Unova gang. The whole time they'd been here, the group had been training for the tournament.

When they hadn't been running away from angry onix, finding a missing cubchoo or calming down an aggressive dragonite, anyway...

It would have been nice to experience a day off - an _actual_ day off - with them before they'd left.

Sighing lightly to himself, he went back to watching the world around him.

Skimming past Axew and Scraggy, who were rolling a ball around the sand, his eyes landed on Emolga. The squirrel was pulling really meek poses, while giving Pignite and Pansage the puppy dog eyes.

When the two of them refused to cooperate, she got annoyed and hit them with Attract. Swaying to and fro with goofy grins on their faces, they agreed to do anything she asked.

Pikachu frowned at the shameless display.

Looking elsewhere, he spotted Oshawott running over to Meloetta, a big grin on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his paws. Meloetta laughed awkwardly, taking the flowers as Oshawott continued to fawn over her.

Pikachu huffed to himself. Now that Piplup had left, he supposed the otter had free reign.

... Which probably also gave him a great excuse to start shamelessly flirting with the other girls again. No rival meant no danger of losing out, after all.

Free reign, indeed...

Glancing away, he looked at Snivy, who was curled up on the sand next to him. Interestingly, she had one eye open and was looking towards the group.

He took a guess at what she was looking at. "(... Annoying, aren't they?)" he asked.

She closed her eye. "(Hmph,)" she replied. "(... They have no shame.)"

He couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "(Yeah, I know, right?)"

"(Mmm.)" She paused a moment, then put on a high-pitched voice of mockery. "('Oh, please, get me apples, 'cause I'm too lazy to do it myself!')" She lowered the pitch slightly. "('Oh, milady, please let me bend over backwards for you!')"

"(Pfft!)" Pikachu had to fight down a grin. "(Yeah, sounds about right.)"

"(Mmm... so how long until he gets bored of Meloetta?)"

"(Eh, I give it a week.)"

"(I give it a day.)"

He snorted in amusement. "(Pretty harsh.)"

Eyes still closed, a tiny smirk appeared on her mouth. "(Not harsh _enough_ , if you ask me.)"

He thought about it for a minute. "(... Yeah, I guess so.)"

Her smirk fell away. "(At least it's quiet, now that Piplup's gone.)"

His mirth fizzled away at the mention of Dawn's team. "(Yeah...)"

"(I can't tell you how many times they interrupted my nap.)"

He turned away, going back to watching the others. "(Well, sleep well, then.)"

"(Yeah. I will.)"

* * *

Outside of the pokémon centre, Buneary grandly held out her arms, showing off her dress. "(Ta-daaaa~!)" she said. She gave a twirl. "(What do you guys think?)"

Togekiss pressed the tips of her wings together in delight. "(Oh, that looks lovely on you, dear!)" she replied.

Quilava grinned. "(Yeah, it looks pretty neat!)" he agreed.

Mamoswine nodded in approval. "(Nice,)" he replied.

"(Doesn't it, though?)" Buneary replied happily. She fiddled with the ribbons on her ears. "(I especially like the ribbons.)"

"(Yeah, they suit ya,)" Quilava said.

"(And they compliment the outfit wonderfully,)" Togekiss added.

"(Thanks!)" Buneary replied.

Piplup smacked a flipper to his chest. "(Actually, I just realised something...)" he said. "(It kinda looks like her Hearthome Collection dress, don't you think?)"

Pachirisu hopped up and down excitedly. "(Ooh, you're right, you're right!)" he replied.

"(Guess _so_ ,)" Mamoswine replied, looking thoughtful.

Quilava tilted his head quizzically. "(Was... that the one from the photo shoot?)" he asked.

"(Yeah, that's the one!)" Buneary replied.

"(Oh yes!)" Togekiss said, beaming. "(The colours are very similar, aren't they? Except this dress is far more elegant.)"

"(Hee, thanks~!)" Buneary replied. After a moment, she gasped and put her paws to her face. "(It's like my Hearthome dress evolved, or something! Ooh, do you think it has a third form? Or does it stop at two?)"

Quilava laughed. "(You're so weird, Buneary!)" he said.

She paused. "(... Am I a good weird or a bad weird?)"

He blinked at her. "(Huh? Well, a good weird, definitely!)"

Everyone else nodded, voicing their agreements.

Buneary beamed. "(Oh! Well, that's good! 'Cause I'd hate to be a bad weird!)"

"(Well, you're _not_ a bad weird!)" Pachirisu said. "(You're good! And great! And I'll beat up anyone who says otherwise!)"

"(Yeah!)" Piplup agreed, puffing out his chest.

Togekiss' smile turned sheepish. "(Now, that's a bit extreme, you two...)" she said.

"(I'll do it!)" Pachirisu said threateningly, frowning with a pout. "(I'll do it! Just watch me!)"

Buneary giggled. "(Aww, you guys are sweet~)" she said. "(Sweeter than Dawn's pink poffins!)"

Pachirisu gasped. "(Poffins?!)" He looked around himself rapidly. "(Where?! Where?!)"

Everybody laughed.

"(Remember,)" Piplup said, "( _I_ get first dibs if there's poffins.)"

"(No way! Only if you can beat me in a footrace, which I know you can't!)"

Dawn suddenly walked out of the pokémon centre. She lifted a hand in greeting. "Sorry I took so long!" she said. "I met someone in there who's _also_ entering the W-" Pachirisu zipped over, clinging to her leg. She jumped in shock. "Wah!"

"(Are there poffins, Dawn?!)" he asked. "(Tell me there's poffins!)"

"(Hey!)" Piplup called out. "(I said _I'd_ get first dibs!)"

"(In your dreams!)"

"(Yeah, that'll become reality!)"

Togekiss stepped forward, a slightly stern look on her face. "(Now, Pachirisu, Piplup...)" she said.

Dawn chuckled awkwardly. "Uh..." she said, "is everyone alright out here?"

Quilava started laughing again.

"(... Yeah, we're cool,)" Mamoswine replied.

Buneary giggled to herself.

"... So, uh, yeah, anyway..." Dawn continued with a sheepish smile, shaking a pouting Pachirisu off her leg. She beamed, putting her hands on her hips. "Other coordinators are getting pumped up for the Wallace Cup, so, first thing tomorrow, we're gonna train!" She paused, then laughed awkwardly. "For real, this time." After a moment, she wore a stern face and waggled her finger at them. "Of course, we're not gonna be training non-stop, like Ash, 'cause that's just silly..." She smiled. "Buuuut that doesn't mean we'll slack off, either! So!" She pumped a fist in the air. "Who's ready to win a ribbon?!"

"(We are!)" everyone cheered.

"I can't hear you! _Who's ready to win a ribbon_?!"

"( _We are_!)"

Afterwards, everyone fell into a fit of laughter at the absurd situation.


	9. Curious Conversations

Author's note: Heya, peeps!

This chapter, I bring to you your daily reminder that Cilan shares a voice actor with Sonic the Hedgehog! Specifically, the one from Sonic X, Shadow the Hedgehog (the game), Sonic 06, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Unleashed! If you listen closely, Cilan kinda sounds like a slower, deeper-pitched Sonic. Mach speed!

Now that you've had your fact of the day, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

P.S. I changed Buneary's ribbons from pink to orange, because I thought orange would suit her better. Just as a heads up.

* * *

 **Chapter Nine** **: Curious Conversations**

The following day, Dawn's team were sitting around outside the pokémon centre, watching their trainer practice with Quilava.

Buneary had donned her orange vest with white frills, which she hadn't worn in a while. On each of her ears were the orange ribbons that Dawn had bought for her, which perfectly matched the vest.

She also had pink inside her ears, which perfectly matched the pink heart on the vest, though Dawn hadn't bought those. They were a _natural_ accessory!

Earlier, she'd gotten so many compliments from her friends about how good she looked that her ego was flying higher than a staraptor in a hot balloon on the wing of an airplane!

Life was good right now!

... Well, she supposed it wasn't perfect, like it _could've_ been, but... No! She wasn't going to think about that now.

Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts! Like how they were going to win the Wallace Cup! And how she looked great in this outfit! Yeah. Yeah, that's what she needed! Some positivity!

... She couldn't help wondering what Pikachu was up to back in Unova, though...

* * *

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash called out.

Sending energy to his tail, Pikachu swung his body around with a battle cry. His tail crashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand.

"Now Electro Ball!" Ash continued.

Charging electricity to his tail, Pikachu crafted it into a ball, then flung it through the cloud of sand. It created a gaping hole.

"Thunderbolt!"

Charging electricity in his cheeks, Pikachu released it in a stream of lightning, which perfectly passed through the hole. The cloud of sand dissipated soon after.

Pikachu landed on the ground with a proud huff.

"Nice job, Ash!" Iris said.

"And you too, Pikachu!" Cilan agreed. "A fine recipe, cooked to perfection through trial and error!"

Ash chuckled. "Actually, I just made it up on the spot, but thanks!" he replied.

Iris and Cilan almost fell over in disbelief. Pikachu, though, couldn't say he was surprised.

After a moment, Iris growled angrily. "You are such a kid!" she cried.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked, only sounding slightly offended. Recovering, he continued. "Anyway, guys, I've been thinking."

"Hmm?" Cilan asked.

"Maybe we should start training in the woods for a while! You know, the ones round the back of Cynthia's place!"

Pikachu blinked. The woods?

"Huh?" Iris asked. "What brought _this_ on?"

"Well, remember yesterday, when we got lost in the woods?"

"When _you_ got lost in the woods!"

"Well, it got me thinking... I should use other environments to train for the Unova League! And I haven't trained in a forest for a while, so..."

"Urgh. Ash, you've been training in nothing _but_ forests this entire journey! I thought it would be nice to train on the beach for once!"

"And I did. But now I wanna go back to the forest."

Cilan shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Well, they do say to change up your diet once in a while..." he said.

"Urgh, fine," Iris replied. She gave Ash a sardonic smile. "If it makes the little kid happy."

Ash huffed. "Enough," he grumbled, "I'm going to the pokémon centre..." He lightly stormed off.

Pikachu sighed. Well, it'd been nice training on the beach while it'd lasted, he supposed. Ah well.

* * *

"(No!)" Oshawott cried dramatically, gripping Ash's leg. "(Don't rotate me!)"

Ash yelped, hopping up and down to try and get the otter off his leg.

Pikachu sighed to himself. Of course Oshawott wouldn't want to leave yet...

Sure, it'd been quite a while since he'd last been rotated, but that was only because the otter refused to leave. Even though Piplup was no longer here. As long as Meloetta was still around, he wasn't budging, it seemed.

"Alright, alright, I'll rotate out Scraggy, instead!" Ash cried. "Just get off my leg, Oshawott! Come on!"

* * *

After rotating out Scraggy for Unfezant, the group headed to the woods behind Cynthia's villa. Once they reached it, they let all of their pokémon out of their pokéballs.

"Alright!" Ash said. "Unfezant, we're doing some training! Everyone else, do... whatever!"

"(Okay!)" all the pokémon replied.

As the group dispersed, everyone heading off to do their own thing, Pikachu saw Oshawott race past Unfezant, Snivy and Emolga to flirt with Meloetta. The legendary gave an exasperated smile in response.

Pikachu sighed, shaking his head at the otter, and decided to hang out with Krookodile and Pignite.

* * *

"(So then _I_ said...)" Pignite said, "(that'll put some fire in your belly!)" He howled in laughter at his own joke.

Sitting next to him on the grass, Pikachu sighed.

Krookodile shook his head with a slight smirk. "(Your jokes are awful, man,)" he said.

Pignite stopped laughing to huff amusedly. "(My jokes are amazing!)"

Pikachu laughed awkwardly. "(They're certainly something!)" he said.

"(See? Pikachu knows where it's at!)"

"(Sure he does,)" Krookodile replied sarcastically.

"(Hmph! Yeah, well...)" Pignite snatched Krookodile's sunglasses straight off his face.

Krookodile's eyes widened in panic. "(Hey!)"

Pignite put them over his own eyes. Smirking, he folded his arms. "(Now I'm red-hot!)"

"(G... Give those back...)" Krookodile made feeble attempts to grab the sunglasses, but Pignite kept dodging out of the way. "(Come on, this isn't funny, man...)"

"(But I'm on fire today!)"

Pikachu sighed again. "(You sure are...)" he replied.

Glancing up, he looked elsewhere at his other friends. Dragonite and Excadrill were lounging near one another, yet not too close and without conversation. Snivy was chilling on the grass, while chatting to a smiling Pansage and Stunfisk. Axew and Emolga were riding on top of Crustle's giant rock home while the crab walked along. Unfezant was still training with Ash.

Oshawott, however, had a pile of berries in his arms and was offering them to Meloetta. Smiling politely, she took one and went back to watching Unfezant's training. Oshawott's bright smile never faltered from her for a second.

Pikachu huffed, looking away again.

* * *

A while later, the group was eating lunch. The humans were having some sort of cream cheese pasta dish, while the pokémon had their usual pellets.

Pikachu nibbled on one, then cringed. Urgh, dry. He hated dry food. It always got stuck in his throat and made him really thirsty.

Sighing in disappointment to himself, he continued eating. Slowly, so that he wouldn't choke.

* * *

After Pikachu was done eating his horrible dry pellets, he went back to chatting with his friends, playing games with them and watching Ash train Snivy. The snake was doing rather well, creating leaves with Leaf Storm, then slicing them apart with perfect accuracy, using Leaf Blade.

It didn't escape Pikachu's notice that Oshawott was continuing to spend time around Meloetta, but he was doing his level best to ignore it.

* * *

The day progressed. Eventually, Pikachu began to get hungry again.

"Hey, Cilan, when's food?" Ash called out.

Apparently, Ash was hungry, too, though that wasn't much of a surprise. He was _always_ hungry.

"I'm about to get started on it, Ash!" Cilan replied happily, pulling a few ingredients from his backpack. "A surprise, fit for the eyes! And the stomach!"

Ash grinned. "Awesome!" he replied.

Pikachu wandered closer, curious as to what was for dinner. Not that he'd be eating any, of course, since he had his pellets. Hopefully, they'd taste better than the ones he'd had at lunch...

"So, what's for dinner?" Iris asked curiously.

"A delightful dish of chili!" Cilan replied, waving a ladle around. He paused, then chuckled. "Which... has nothing to do with my _brother_ , Chili... though I must admit, there's no one spicier than him!"

"Wow, chili?!" Ash exclaimed. "I can't wait!"

Aww, chili? That sounded spicy. Hopefully, the pellets would be spicy to make up for him missing out.

Iris pulled a face. "Urgh..." she replied, "chili?"

Cilan blinked. "Do you... not like chili?" he asked.

"No... I can't stand the stuff."

Cilan deflated. "Oh... well... I was... hoping to show off my new chili recipe, but... perhaps I should... cook something else, instead..."

Iris gave him a pitying look. She heaved a sigh. "I mean, feel free to try and impress me! Change my mind, if you can! Your cooking _is_ amazing, after all!"

He blinked at her.

She continued, looking defeated. "Though I doubt even _you_ could make a chili _I_ would like..."

Cilan gripped the ladle in his hand tighter. "A challenge, is it? A challenge to make a chili so delectable... so delightfully delicious... that even _your_ taste buds dance?!" He got a strange fire in his eyes. "To blend the ingredients so perfectly... so precisely... that you can't help but fall in love with it?! To make a dish that even an S-class connoisseur would say is your ideal match in evaluation time?!" His voice suddenly got much louder. "Well, I say _bring it on_!"

There was a deathly silence as everyone in the area stared at Cilan in disbelief.

After a few moments, Cilan blinked. Then blinked again. Then he blushed slightly. "Um, that is, uh... it's... cooking time?" He smiled sheepishly.

"... Uh... yeah, sure..." a stunned Iris replied.

Jeez. Pikachu had no idea Cilan could get so hot-blooded...

Never question the guy's cooking prowess, he supposed.

* * *

Sometime later, a delightfully spicy smell was wafting across the area. It tantalised Pikachu's nostrils and make him a bit salty that he wouldn't be eating any, himself.

"That chili smells amazing!" Ash remarked.

"Why, thank you, Ash!" Cilan replied.

Iris looked at the pot uncertainly. "... Well, I guess it does smell good..." she said.

"In that case, I'd better speed up and get this on your plates!" Cilan dramatically began to stir it faster, a beaming smile on his face and a strange vigour to his body. "Woo! Feeling good!"

Iris smiled teasingly. "You're such a dweeb, Cilan."

He stopped, looking at her in shock. "I... I am not a dweeb!"

Ash chuckled. "You kind of are, Cilan," he replied.

Pouting, Cilan got back to stirring.

* * *

Eventually, food was ready. Thankfully for Pikachu, the pellets had a spicy tinge to them, which made his taste buds dance in joy. Ohhh, this was so much better than lunch had been.

Over at the table, Iris seemed in awe of Cilan's chili, so it seemed he'd done a good job with it. The chef looked incredibly smug as he watched her eat it.

Suddenly, Cynthia and Jervis emerged from the trees and approached the table.

"I _thought_ I smelled something coming from these woods," Cynthia said. "Is that chili?"

"It sure is!" Cilan replied. "Would you two like some?"

"I would love some." Cynthia looked sideways at her butler. "And Jervis here loves chili. Don't you, Jervis?"

"Indeed I do, madam."

"Then pull up a seat!" Ash said. "This chili's amazing!"

"... Yeah, it... kind of is," Iris agreed, still in shock.

As Jervis and Cynthia settled into seats - and Cynthia let out her pokémon - Pikachu heard footsteps approaching him. Looking up, he saw Oshawott, bowl in his paws.

"(Hey,)" the otter said, smiling. "(Mind if I sit here?)"

"(No, go ahead,)" Pikachu replied, indicating the empty space.

"(Thanks!)" Oshawott sat down, then started devouring his food. "(Mmm! Shome good perrets today, huh?)"

"(Don't talk with your mouth full.)"

"(Shorry.)" Oshawott gulped it down. "(The ones at lunch were way better, but these are still pretty good!)"

"(Hmph. I disagree.)" Pikachu nibbled on one, savouring the lovely taste. A thought came to him as he swallowed. "(Not eating with Meloetta?)"

Oshawott pouted. "(I wanted to, but she's over there with Ash.)" He pointed.

Pikachu looked to see that Meloetta was sitting on the table, giggling as Ash devoured his chili.

"(Ah.)"

Oshawott smiled. "(So I thought, why not come sit next to _you_? My ol' buddy, Pikachu!)"

Pikachu paused at the comment. He glanced around. Unfezant was eating with Krookodile and Pignite, while laughing at Pignite's awful humour. Snivy was eating with Excadrill and Axew, while the dragon talked animatedly. Emolga was eating with Crustle and Stunfisk, the three of them laughing about something. Garchomp, Gastrodon and Glaceon were all eating together, one smiling brighter than the other two.

Pikachu looked back at Oshawott. As he watched the otter stuff his face some more, he couldn't help remember the conversation he'd had with Snivy the previous day.

"(What about the _other_ girls?)"

Oshawott turned to him with a full mouth. "(Hrm?)"

"(You not gonna sit with _them_?)"

Swallowing, Oshawott blinked at him. "(Huh? Why?)" He pouted. "(Do you not wanna sit with me?)"

"(No, that's not it. I just...)" Pikachu studied his friend's confused face for a moment. "(... Hey. Oshawott.)"

"(Yeah?)"

"(Why are you not flirting with the other girls?)"

Oshawott blinked at him again. "(Huh?)"

Pikachu turned to indicate the six other female pokémon in the group. "(Well, there's plenty here... and we know what you're like, so...)"

Turning back, he saw Oshawott looking mildly offended. "(Wh... What do you mean 'what I'm like'?!)"

Pikachu gave him a deadpan stare. "(I think you know as well as I do.)"

"(Yeah, well...! This is different!)"

"(Sure it is. So why are you only flirting with Meloetta?)"

A third time, Oshawott blinked at him. "(Huh?)"

"(Well, you have plenty of choice now, so...)"

Oshawott took on a look of realisation. "(Oh! Well, see... that's the thing!)" He scooted closer, lowering his voice. His eyes sparkled. "(I think... I think Meloetta's the one, man!)"

Pikachu stared at him. "(... Huh?)"

"(You know... _the one_! I think she's it!)"

Pikachu continued to stare at him, something deep inside him stirring. He forcefully squashed it back down, giving Oshawott another deadpan stare.

"(... Seriously?)"

Oshawott squealed excitedly. "(Yes!)"

He really couldn't believe he was hearing this. Oshawott finding 'the one'? Not freaking likely.

He frowned. "(What about Togekiss? And Buneary?)" His insides squirmed at the name, but he ignored it.

Oshawott blinked at him again. "(Huh?)"

"(You flirted with them the second you met them... and that was _after_ you fell for Meloetta.)"

"(Oh! Well, yeah, but, back then, any lady was good, you know?)"

"(And now?)"

Oshawott clenched a paw. "(Fighting with Piplup for so long made me realise that Meloetta is _the one_.)"

... Okay. So fighting over her had made him obsessed with her. Not to mention delusional. Good to know.

"(Uh huh...)"

"(I don't want anyone else! Just Meloetta~)"

"(... Right...)

Considering the otter's track record, he'd believe that when he saw it.

... Although it was strange that he'd use that wording. He couldn't recall Oshawott ever saying someone was 'the one' before...

Shaking his head, he decided to ignore it as a delusional fantasy. The otter would change his mind soon enough.


	10. Gaining Ground

Author's note: Hey ho!

Not much to say this time, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Ten** **: Gaining Ground**

The next day, Buneary and her teammates were, once again, outside the pokémon centre. This time, Dawn had decided to train Togekiss.

"Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!" she called out.

Forming a small ball of aura between her wings, Togekiss spun around in mid-air, then fired it into the air above her. She did this several more times, until there were six Aura Spheres soaring upwards.

"Now use Air Slash!"

Twirling a wing, Togekiss formed a spinning ball of air. With another spin, she flung it upwards towards the Aura Spheres, which had now slowed and were falling back down. As they met in the middle, the attacks struck each other, exploding on impact.

Sparkling debris rained down like the remains of fireworks, straight towards Togekiss.

"Now finish up with Safeguard!"

Spreading out her wings, Togekiss formed a large green barrier around herself. It encompassed the area, protecting everyone around her. When the falling debris struck it, it bounced away harmlessly, sparkling all the while.

When it caught the sunlight, it created a rainbow on either side of the Safeguard.

As the appeal faded away into nothing, Togekiss gracefully turned in mid-air, landed on her tiptoes and bowed to her audience.

As Dawn laughed in happiness, all of her teammates clapped and cheered.

Wow, Buneary was looking forward to the Wallace Cup more and more with each day! And, with performances like these, they were _sure_ to get that ribbon.

Look out, lucky number five!

* * *

"Alright, Krookodile!" Ash called out. "Use Dragon Claw on that tree!"

His claws glowing blue, Krookodile lunged at the tree, striking at it once, twice, three times. He paused, the trunk now covered in criss-crossing scratch marks. After a moment, the bark burst outwards from the tree and crumpled to the grass below.

Krookodile crossed his arms proudly.

"Way to go, Krookodile!" Ash said happily. "Your Dragon Claw's coming along great."

Krookodile smirked. "(You bet it is,)" he replied.

Standing next to Ash, Pikachu nodded in agreement. "(Yeah, good job!)" he said.

"(Heh. Thanks.)"

"(... I'll never understand this training thing,)" Emolga suddenly said from nearby.

Pikachu turned to see the squirrel standing next to him.

"(Well,)" he replied, "(we do it to get stronger. So we can win more battles.)"

Emolga pulled a face. "(Battling, just to battle some _more_? Urgh, no thanks.)"

Pikachu huffed, shaking his head. "(You just don't get it.)"

"(Darn right I don't!)" She pouted. "(And I can't believe Iris made me train for two weeks! Then she didn't even use me in the tournament! What was the point?!)"

Pikachu gave her a deadpan stare. "(... To get stronger?)"

"(No, screw that! It was a complete waste of my precious time!)"

Pikachu rolled his eyes. The squirrel was so lazy, it pained him sometimes.

She put on a sickly sweet smile. "(Time I could have spent eating apples.)"

"(Urgh, what is it with you and apples? You're obsessed.)"

She gave him a mock-offended look. "(What? They're tasty.)" She shrugged. "(Not my _favourite_ food, but they're pretty dang good. And they grow _everywhere_ , so win-win!)"

"(... So what's your _favourite_ food?)"

Her eyes shone. "(Ooh, anything spicy! Cheri berries, razz berries... anything like that!)" She paused a moment. "(Not _toooo_ spicy, though. I don't have an iron tongue, after all.)"

Heh. If Buneary was here, she'd probably comment on how enough heat might actually _melt_ an iron tongue, instead. Especially since fire-types were strong against steel-types.

Perhaps she'd even wonder how many tamato berries it would take to work.

He shook his head, clearing it of such thoughts.

"(Uh, yeah. Me too. On the spicy thing.)"

Her eyes widened slightly in delighted surprise. "(Oh, you like spicy food, too?)" She grinned at him. "(Well, then, maybe you'd know a few good spots for the berries?)"

"(Well, not really, but-)"

Emolga sidled up to him, almost nuzzling him. He backed up in distaste.

"(Then how about you go look for me, hmm~? I'd really like some nice, juicy cheri berries or something~! Heck, if you find one that's _sweet_ and spicy, I'd be ever-so grateful~)"

He frowned at her. "(You know that's not gonna work on me, right?)"

Her act dropped immediately as she moved away. "(Eh, it was worth a try.)" She paused, her mouth slowly forming into a smirk. "(... Though I could always-)"

"(Attract me and I'll zap you.)"

She pouted. "(You're no fun.)"

He huffed out some air in annoyance. "(Why don't you go bother Oshawott, or something?)"

She folded her arms. "(He's been ignoring me.)"

He raised an eyebrow. "(Hmm?)"

"(Ever since he and Piplup started fighting over Meloetta, he's just been ignoring me! He won't get me apples and things. Not even now, when Piplup's not even here.)" She kicked the dirt under her foot. "(It's like he forgot I exist, or something...)"

Pikachu blinked a few times. Turning his head, he looked over at where Meloetta was floating. Sure enough, there was Oshawott, showering her with compliments with an adoring sparkle in his eyes.

"(Yeah, see?)" Emolga continued. "(He's completely ignoring me!)"

Pikachu turned back to her. "(Why haven't you tried Attract yet?)"

She shrugged. "(I thought about it... but I dunno. I haven't had to use it on him in so long, it's... kind of weird doing it now.)" She glanced away. "(Besides, I've got other guys to use.)"

Pikachu huffed again. "(You could always get the apples yourself, you know.)"

Turning back to him, she winked. "(Yeah, I know... but it's way more fun getting others to do it for me~)"

Pikachu rolled his eyes again.

Glancing back in Oshawott's direction, he watched as the otter continued chatting to Meloetta. The legendary seemed calmer around him than she used to be. Probably because he and Piplup were no longer ripping each other's throats out over her.

Still, though, he couldn't get what the otter had said yesterday out of his head. 'The one'? Really? What made him think, out of all the girls he'd flirted with, that Meloetta was 'the one'? Was it just because she was pretty? Was it just because she was a legendary?

Either way, it was very strange for him to just straight up _ignore_ the other girls around him. Especially since he'd been flirting with them fairly consistently over the months.

One of his favourites to flirt with was Emolga - mostly because she often led him on, purely to get apples out of him - but now he was ignoring her? How odd.

He gave his head a light shake. As weird as it was, it was most likely temporary.

* * *

Later in the day, Cilan had made everyone dinner outside Cynthia's villa. Picking up his bowl of pellets, Pikachu started making his way across the grounds to where Axew and Pansage were sitting.

As he passed by Dragonite, who was glaring angrily down at his bowl, he walked a little bit faster. Gosh, that guy was unpleasant to be around. When he wasn't demanding battles from the strongest opponents he could find, he could always be found glaring at something. It was as if his bowl had personally insulted him, or something.

Pikachu hoped that Iris would get the guy's temper under control soon. He could be a real handful...

Continuing onwards, he began to pass by Oshawott and Meloetta, who were eating together. Huh, now that was an unusual sight.

"(Oh, come on, pleeeease?)" Oshawott asked, a bright smile on his face.

Mildly curious, Pikachu couldn't help but slow his walk slightly.

Meloetta giggled. "(I told you, I can't!)" she replied. "(It's a secret~!)"

Oshawott pouted. "(Awww! But I really wanna know where you came from!)"

"(Sorry~! But I promised I wouldn't tell a soul.)"

"(Dang it. Who'd you promise?)"

"(I can't tell you that, either~!)"

"(Awww! Phooey.)"

Meloetta giggled again.

Huh. They seemed to get along surprisingly well now. Maybe Piplup leaving had actually been good for their relationship.

Hmm. He pondered Oshawott's words some more as he continued walking past them.

'The one', he'd said. 'Just Meloetta', he'd said...

... Hmph.

There was just no way.

He kept walking, all the way up until he arrived at his destination.

"(I really hope Scraggy comes back soon...)" Axew said with a pout.

"(Don't worry, I'm sure he will,)" Pansage replied. "(Then the flavours can mix again!)"

"(And make a... delightful dish?)"

Pansage beamed. "(Yes, exactly!)"

After a moment, Axew beamed back. "(Yeah! Yeah, you're right! Scraggy will come back and then we'll play and play all day long!)"

"(Unless he's training, of course.)"

"(Yeah, I guess so. 'Cause he hasn't mastered that blasting move of his yet.)" Axew suddenly looked up in surprise, then smiled at Pikachu. "(Oh, hey, Pikachu!)"

Pikachu smiled back. "(Hey,)" he replied. "(You mind if I sit with you guys?)"

"(Not at all!)"

"(Yes, feel free to jump in the pot,)" Pansage added.

"(Okay, thanks!)" Pikachu replied, sitting down.

As Axew and Pansage went back to talking amongst themselves, Pikachu cast another glance over at Oshawott and Meloetta.

Something stirred in his chest, but he ignored it.

* * *

The following day, Dawn's pokémon watched as Pachirisu stood in front of their trainer, ready to train. Buneary was wearing her vest and matching ribbons, excited to see what today's performance would be like.

"Okay, Pachirisu!" Dawn called out. "Use Sweet Kiss!"

Blowing a kiss, Pachirisu sent a swarm of pink hearts flying into the air.

"Now use Discharge!"

Charging up blue electricity in his cheeks, he released it in streams towards the hearts. As each stream hit a heart, it bounced off, hitting another one. This continued, until all of the hearts were joined in a string of electricity.

"Alright, now get up there!"

Jumping up, Pachirisu spun into a ball and bounced, using his tail to springboard himself higher.

"And Spark!"

Unrolling, Pachirisu covered himself in blue electricity. Landing on one of the hearts, he immediately jumped to the next one. The one he'd left behind exploded in a shower of pink sparkles. This continued, with each one exploding as he jumped off it.

As he finished, he rolled back into a ball, spinning towards the ground. Bouncing once, then twice, he unrolled himself in time to land on his tail and pose.

All of his teammates cheered.

Buneary's heart soared. Wow, her friends were getting so good! Every time they performed for her, she felt more and more excited!

With moves like these, they were certainly a shoe-in for that ribbon! A perfect _fit_ of a shoe!

Though... ohhh, now she wanted to join in, too! If only her stupid moves were working! She didn't want to sit idly by, while her teammates carried the Wallace Cup for her!

Gosh and what about the Hoenn Grand Festival?! She'd be beside herself, fidgeting anxiously all the while, if she didn't manage to compete in that!

... Her adrenaline was running pretty high right now, though, so maybe... just maybe...

"Great job, Pachirisu!" Dawn said happily. "You finally perfected your landing!"

"(Yay me!)" Pachirisu replied just as happily.

"(That landing was splendid, dear!)" Togekiss said.

"(Yeah, it was real cool!)" Quilava agreed.

"(Good job,)" Mamoswine added.

Piplup nodded. "(Not bad at all,)" he said.

"(Yeah, you were great!)" Buneary added.

"(Thanks, guys!)" Pachirisu replied, beaming. Hopping off his tail, he ran back over to the sidelines.

"Alright," Dawn said, putting her wrists on her hips as she looked at her team. "Who's up next? We'll do one more round, before taking a break!"

Piplup stepped forward. Before he could speak, however, Buneary stood up. She stared intently at Dawn.

Everyone glanced at her in shock.

Dawn blinked, her mouth falling open. "... Buneary?"

Buneary smiled brightly, hopping over to where Dawn was. She held a paw to her chest. "(Can... _I_ try?)" she asked.

"(You... _You_ wanna train?!)" Piplup asked in shock.

"(Oh, are you certain you're ready, dear?)" Togekiss asked in concern.

"(Yeah, what if your moves don't work again?)" Quilava asked.

"(... Or do they?)" Mamoswine asked.

Buneary turned to them with a smile. "(Well, we won't know unless I try, right?)" she replied. Turning back to Dawn, she indicated herself again.

" _You_ wanna train, Buneary?" Dawn asked.

Buneary nodded. "(Yup!)"

Dawn kneeled down, getting as close to eye level as she could. "Are you sure?"

Buneary nodded again. "(Yep!)"

"... Do you think your moves are working now?"

Buneary shrugged. "(I dunno, but I'm willing to try!)"

Dawn closed her eyes, looking thoughtful. "I see... so you're not sure..." She held that pose for a moment, then stood up and opened her eyes, looking determined. "Well, no need to worry! I'm sure you'll do great!"

Buneary nodded, more enthusiastically than before. "(Yeah!)"

"We'll get you back to fighting form, no problem!"

Buneary raised her arms in a cheer. "( _Yeah_!)"

"Alright, then... you ready?"

Spinning around to face the other direction, Buneary nodded. "(Ready!)"

"(Good luck, Buneary!)" Piplup called out.

"(Yeah, you can do it!)" Quilava added.

"(Knock it outta the park!)" Pachirisu called out.

"(We believe in you, dear!)" Togekiss added.

"(Go get 'em,)" Mamoswine said calmly.

Okay... okay, she could do this...

"Alright then, Buneary..." Dawn said, "use Ice Beam!"

Buneary closed her eyes, concentrating. She could feel the energy circulating inside her. It grew colder and colder as it travelled up, towards her mouth.

Okay... she could do this...

She opened her mouth.

After a few moments, she could feel it. Cold energy concentrating itself. Forming itself. She opened her eyes to see a light blue ball in front of her.

Her confidence shot through the roof at the sight. With a loud battle cry, she fired a beam of light across the grounds of the pokémon centre. She heard her teammates gasp in shock and awe.

Power. So much power! She'd missed this feeling. She'd missed it more deeply than she'd thought.

She turned her head this way and that. The Ice Beam travelled with her, freezing everything in its path.

Her happiness soared. She could use her moves again! Or at least Ice Beam! Maybe that meant the others would work, too!

Cutting off her attack, she turned to her friends with a bright smile. Unable to contain herself, she jumped up and down in joy.

"(I did it, I did it!)" she cried.

There was a mass of noise and thundering footsteps. Suddenly, she was engulfed in many hugs at once.

"(Way to go, Buneary!)" Piplup cried.

"(Ya did it, ya did it!)" Quilava added.

"(Congratulations, dear,)" Togekiss said.

"(You were awesome!)" Pachirisu cried. "( _Super duper_ awesome!)"

Nearby, not joining in the hug, Buneary saw Mamoswine nod. "(Good job,)" he said.

The smile on Buneary's face widened so much, it hurt. It felt like her face was going to split in half, but she didn't care. She was so happy!

Dawn laughed in joy. "Wow, way to go, Buneary!" she cried. "You finally got your moves back!"

Looking at her, Buneary nodded. "(Yep~!)" she replied.

Dawn gasped in delight. "We should see if the other ones came back, too! What do you think?!"

Buneary nodded several times in quick succession. "(Yeah, yeah!)"

Dawn clenched her fist, looking determined. "Alright! Then let's get to work!"

"(Heck yeah!)"

It had been a rough road, but things were finally looking up again! She couldn't wait to get back to training!

It had been so long, she was probably super rusty by now... but she was ready to get out that spit and polish and make her moves shine like a rainbow!

Like _two_ rainbows!


	11. Baffling Bonds

Author's note: Heya!

Kay. To the hasty one who wants the plot resolved _right now_... be patient, please, would ya? All good things come to those who wait and such. Jeez, it's like you want both my fics to just end immediately, or something. XP

Trust that I have a plan, dudes. Because I do.

... Anyway, that aside, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven** **: Baffling Bonds**

The next day, Ash rotated out Snivy to train Scraggy for a couple of days. Axew was, of course, overjoyed about this, vowing to stick by his best friend and watch him train.

As they worked on perfecting the baby lizard's Focus Blast, Dragonite was being scolded by Iris for acting up again and Cilan was fishing in the nearby stream.

Pikachu decided to take this time to wander around. Not _too_ far away, of course, because then Ash would probably worry and go on a man-hunt for him.

He was probably safe, though. They hadn't seen much of Team Rocket this region - and, when they _had_ , the trio had mostly been busy with other missions - so there wasn't much chance of him being captured.

Hmm. In fact, he'd never told Buneary that, had he? The fact that Jessie and James had been super serious and dressed in black this region. Which had caused massive whiplash. since the white-wearing goofballs had constantly stalked him in every region prior.

Ah, darn it. He was thinking about Buneary again. He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought. She was probably happier now, anyway, now that she was away from him. She might have even moved on already.

Yeah. She probably had.

Giving his head another shake, he carried on with his wandering.

He passed by a few of his friends along the way, even waving to a few. They waved back.

Eventually, he spotted a berry bush in the distance. Hmm. Well, breakfast had been rather small and lunch was a way off yet, so why not? He began walking towards it, wondering if there were any spicy berries on the bush. He hoped so.

Stopping in front of the bush, he scanned it. Dry. Dry. Sweet. Dang, no spicy ones. Sighing lightly, he plucked off a pecha berry. It wouldn't fill him much, but it would be something.

He took a bite, enjoying the sweetness that washed across his tongue. He took a few steps forward to continue his wandering.

"(So, what's your favourite?)" Oshawott's voice suddenly asked. Pikachu stopped dead in his tracks. "(Maybe we can find it around here!)"

"(Hmm...)" Meloetta's voice replied. "(I don't remember what they're called, but there was this lovely round pink berry I loved.)"

"(Round and pink... Round and pink...)"

Curiosity strangely started to tug at Pikachu. Edging sideways slightly, he peeked out from the bush, trying hard not to be seen. Thankfully, Oshawott and Meloetta were facing away from his direction.

"(It was really sweet and... slightly bitter, I think?)" Meloetta continued.

Oshawott flinched. "(Ew, bitter? Really?)"

She looked down at him curiously. "(Yes. Is there something wrong with that?)"

"(Uh, no, no! It's just, I... uh, really don't like bitter food.)"

"(Oh. Well, that's a shame.)" She paused a moment. "(What _do_ you like?)"

Oshawott beamed. "(I like a _lot_ of foods! Especially the crunchy ones!)"

She giggled. "(Yes, you _can_ be a bit... um, greedy.)"

He puffed out his cheeks in mock annoyance. "(I am not greedy...)"

She giggled again, choosing not to answer him.

He mock-huffed, then got back to thinking. "(Anyway, uhhhh... round and pink... slightly bitter...)" He paused a long moment, then gasped in realisation. "(I think I know! Magost berries, right?)"

"(Oh, yes, that was it! Magost berries!)" She glanced around. "(Are there any around here?)"

Oshawott looked around, too. "(Hmmmm... I don't see any.)"

"(Ah, that's a shame.)"

Suddenly, Glaceon came running out of some bushes near the duo. She was grinning heavily.

"(Ha!)" she said, looking behind her. "(You'll never catch me, slowpokes!)" Turning around, she smiled. "(Hey, Oshawott! Hey, Meloetta!)"

Pikachu waited for the inevitable flirting.

"(Oh, hey, Glaceon!)" Oshawott replied.

Meloetta waved. "(Yes, hello~!)" she said.

... Huh.

"(Can't talk, gotta run!)" Glaceon said. She ran off. "(Catch ya later!)"

"(Yeah, see ya!)" Oshawott called after her.

"(Bye~!)" Meloetta added.

... Hmm.

Suddenly, another, much larger figure walked out from the bushes. It was Garchomp and she looked less than amused.

She huffed out a small sigh. "(Alright, which way?)" she asked.

Surely, now he'd flirt.

Without batting an eyelid, Oshawott pointed in the direction Glaceon had gone. "(That way,)" he replied.

"(Thanks.)" She stomped off after her teammate.

... No flirting at all. Two girls, right in front of him - ones owned by Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, no less - and no reaction at all...

Pikachu turned away, frowning slightly in confusion. Why was he not flirting? Had he... actually been serious when he'd said that Meloetta was 'the one'?

... No, no. He shook his head. That couldn't be right. It was just Oshawott being Oshawott and he'd go back to his old ways soon enough.

That was the way things were and that was how they would stay.

* * *

Later that day, everyone was settling down outside the villa to eat dinner. Picking up his bowl, Pikachu looked around, trying to decide who to sit with.

His gaze landed on Oshawott, who was approaching Meloetta. The legendary was eating near Ash.

Hmm. Maybe he could pretend _he_ wanted to eat near Ash, too. Just because he was curious.

Walking in that direction, he kept his gaze on Oshawott. The otter cheerfully sat down next to Meloetta, who smiled pleasantly at him. Pikachu veered to the side slightly, sitting near them, but not too close. He had good hearing, anyway, so he'd be able to hear them just fine.

Ash smiled down at him, acknowledging his presence. Smiling back, Pikachu picked up a pellet to nibble on it. He angled his vision in Oshawott's direction, but not too much.

"(I'll bet you're looking forward to this 'Unova League' that Ash keeps talking about~!)" Meloetta said.

"(Heck yeah!)" Oshawott replied. "(We're gonna beat down the competition and show 'em all who's boss!)"

Meloetta beamed. "(It should be exciting to see!)"

"(You bet!)" Oshawott paused a moment. "(You know, if _you_ were on Ash's team, you could beat 'em all easily!)"

Meloetta giggled. "(Oh, I don't know about that. I haven't battled much in my lifetime.)"

He stared at her, open-mouthed. "(Are you kidding me?! You beat those onix to a pulp!)"

"(Well, yes, but in my pirouette forme. It's always been stronger than my aria forme.)"

Oshawott blinked. "(Really?)"

Meloetta nodded. "(Mmm-hmm! And I don't do much in the way of training.)"

"(You don't?)"

"(Nope~! I'm not the biggest fan of fighting...)" She paused. "(Although it _is_ very fun to watch...)"

"(It's fun to _do_! You should give it a try sometime!)"

"(Hmm. Maybe. I'll consider it.)"

"(Please do! Though I pity anyone who has to fight you!)"

She giggled. "(Oh, you flatterer~)"

"(No, seriously! Those onix crumpled under your Close Combat!)"

"(Yes, but they did even _more_ so under your water attacks~)"

Oshawott rubbed his head bashfully. "(Well, yeah, they were doubly effective, so...)"

"(True, but my Close Combat is _very_ powerful... though it does make me weaker after using it.)"

"(And my Hydro Pump wasn't enough to take out that _last_ onix, remember? I needed Piplup's help!)"

"(Well, I guess so, but still.)"

"(Face it, you'd kick my butt if we ever got into a fight.)" Oshawott paused. "(N-Not that I _do_ wanna fight you, of course.)"

She giggled. "(Well, maybe... though you do have more experience than me. Hence why I needed so much help on the island. When not in pirouette forme, anyway.)"

"(I guess.)" Oshawott gave a determined smile. "(Though I'll happily save you from any danger!)"

Meloetta beamed at him. "(Aww, my hero~)"

... Wow. Pikachu didn't know what to say. They were getting along like a house on fire and Oshawott seemed to only have eyes for Meloetta.

But... no... this couldn't be right.

... Could it?

His mind began to wander as he watched them...

After a few moments, though, he caught himself. Shaking his head vigorously, he turned away to eat his pellets.

Alright. No more snooping.

* * *

The following day, after some more training, Scraggy finally perfected his Focus Blast. Then, due to shenanigans caused by a rufflet and a vullaby who really disliked each other, the gang were roped into helping at a local pokémon nursery.

They spent all day trying to get the two birds to become friends. When they finally did, it was already sunset.

Sitting on the balcony of Cynthia's villa, Pikachu sighed. "(Ugh, what a day...)" he said.

Sitting next to him, Axew chuckled. "(Yeah, no kidding!)" he replied.

Suddenly, Meloetta, who was floating nearby, started singing. It wasn't her usual calming song that made pokémon stop fighting. It was one of her rarer, more melodic songs.

Pikachu couldn't help but smile at the sound.

Then it changed. The melody became different, a tune he'd never heard her sing before. Judging by the humans' reactions, they hadn't either.

It was a lovely, haunting melody that stirred emotions in him he couldn't quite explain.

* * *

The next day, Ash wanted to train Oshawott, since he hadn't done it for a while. The otter had pouted about leaving Meloetta's side, but then seemed to brighten up when she'd looked excited to watch.

That probably meant he was going to show off to try and impress her, much to Pikachu's chagrin.

* * *

Instead of training in the woods again, Ash had opted to train in front of Cynthia's villa for a 'change of pace', as he'd put it. As he trained, Cilan and Iris watched, as always, until the latter briefly left to grab herself and Axew some apples.

After a while of training, Ash stopped and hummed in thought.

"Hey, you know what?" he said, smirking. "How about we make it a battle?" He turned to look at Iris, who'd just come back, one apple in each hand. "Iris?"

"Eh," Iris replied, shrugging as she stopped on the sidelines. "I'm really not in the mood, so count me out."

"(Yeah, me too!)" Axew added from atop her shoulder.

Ash pouted. "Aww..." He looked to his other friend, smiling. "Cilan?"

Cilan smirked, fixing his bowtie. "Very well, Ash," he replied. "After all..." He struck a flamboyant pose. "More ingredients can make a dish much tastier!"

Iris shrugged again. "Or it can spoil the broth..." she said.

Cilan huffed slightly as he walked into place. "I will ignore that, despite the delicious metaphor. Alright, Pansage, let's go!"

"(Yeah!)" Pansage replied, leaping in front of Cilan. "(Let's get this broth boiled!)"

"Alright!" Ash replied. "You ready, Oshawott?"

"(Heck yeah!)" Oshawott replied.

"In that case..." Cilan said, "it's time for the appetizer!" He swung his arm dramatically. "Now, Pansage! Use Bullet Seed!"

Doing a backflip, Pansage fired off a volley of seeds.

"Intercept with Razor Shell!" Ash called out.

Pulling out his scalchop, Oshawott created a blade of water with it and deflected each seed before they could touch him. Once he was finished, he posed smugly.

"Wow!" Iris said. "Oshawott looks awesome!"

"(He sure does!)" Axew replied.

"(Heh, yeah!)" Pikachu replied.

Though Pikachu knew the otter was showing off, even _he_ could admit the guy had skill.

He heard crunching behind him, which was probably Iris and Axew finally eating their apples. He tuned it out as Cilan spoke.

"Excellent!" the connoisseur said. "A most delightful blend of power and skill!"

Pansage folded his arms, nodding. "(A fine dish, indeed!)" he agreed.

Ash huffed proudly. "He's right, Oshawott!" he said.

"(Way to go!)" Meloetta said cheerfully.

Oshawott beamed brightly as he looked in her direction. "(Oh, thank you~!)" he replied.

Her gaze became starry. "(You looked so cool just now...)"

Oshawott blushed happily. "(Well, thanks! I'm really good with my scalchop!)" He swung it around proudly for her.

... It caused something to sting in Pikachu's chest.

Meloetta suddenly floated across the battlefield. "(Okay then!)"

"Um..." Ash said, confused, "hey, Meloetta, what are you doing?"

She landed in-between the two combatants, facing Oshawott.

"(Huh?)" Oshawott asked. "(Meloetta?)"

"(What are you doing?)" Pansage asked in surprise.

Then Meloetta started singing.

Pikachu blinked. Wait. He recognised this song. She'd sung it once before, back on Onix Island.

Relic Song.

As a rainbow veil surrounded Meloetta and she began to drift upwards in the air, Pikachu couldn't help but wonder what she was doing. Why was she transforming?

At the same time, her melody was so beautiful that it was hard to keep the smile off his face.

Once the song ended, the veil disappeared, revealing her pirouette forme floating above the villa grounds. She drifted back down, landing on the floor.

With a smile and a dramatic swish of the hand, she pointed at Oshawott. "(I challenge you!)" she said.

... What?

"(Huh?!)" Oshawott replied in shock.

"I think Meloetta wants to battle you!" Cilan said to the otter.

Well, this was... unexpected. Hadn't she said only two days ago that she wasn't one for battling?

Though she _had_ said that she'd consider it, so... he supposed she'd considered it.

Meloetta hopped from one foot to the other, looking really eager to battle. Then she made a cocky 'come hither' gesture to Oshawott.

"(Come at me then~!)" she said.

Jeez, her confidence really soared in this form, didn't it? Though she'd even said herself that she was more powerful in pirouette forme, so he supposed it made sense.

More power meant more confidence.

"Kay, Oshawott," Ash said, "use Aqua Jet!"

"(... Ummmm...)" Oshawott replied, not moving.

... Oh no. He'd said the other day that he wouldn't want to fight her, hadn't he?

"(Well?)" Meloetta said with a confident smile. "(Come on!)"

Oshawott immediately backed up several steps and turned away.

"Oshawott?" Ash asked.

"(Come on, what's wrong?)" Meloetta called out impatiently.

"(No! I can't!)" Oshawott screeched, shaking his head over and over again. "(I don't wanna hurt you! Please don't make me hurt you!)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh. Okay, this display was really pathetic. Especially since she had more chance of hurting _him_ than the other way around. The otter had even said as much, himself...

"How cute~!" Iris said. "Oshawott's too shy!"

"(Aww~)" Axew replied.

"(Or he thinks she's too delicate...)" Pikachu said with an exasperated smile.

He supposed he didn't blame Oshawott either, since Meloetta had needed saving every time she hadn't transformed. Images of her cowering, with Piplup and Oshawott running to her rescue, came to mind.

Sneaking a glance over at the legendary, though, he could see that she looked rather displeased. Oh dear.

"(Delicate...?)" he heard her mutter to herself.

As Ash and Cilan recalled Oshawott and Pansage, Meloetta put her hands on her hips and huffed.

"(I am not delicate!)" she said.

Urgh. Dang, Oshawott had really messed up now, hadn't he? Just because he'd refused to battle her. She looked so annoyed right now that he suspected the otter had lost his chance with her.

... Though... maybe... maybe... their relationship could still be salvaged? After all, they seemed to get along really well, so...

He shook his head slightly. What was he thinking? It was never going to work out, he knew that...

As Cilan made his way over to the sidelines and Ash used Krookodile to battle, instead, Pikachu couldn't help but be bothered by this lingering thought.

... Wait, did he... actually _want_ it to work out between them?

... No. No, that was ridiculous.

He lightly shook his head again, dispelling the thought. It was utterly ridiculous...


	12. Melodic Misfortune

Author's note: Heya!

Time for things to heat up in these shallow waters! But, in that case, would they be shallow hot springs, instead? Ha ha ha! Kay, I'll see myself out...

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve** **: Melodic Misfortune**

The battle raged on, with Meloetta using Hyper Voice. It stunned Krookodile and sent him reeling backwards. Quickly recovering, he countered with Stone Edge.

As the sharp rocks closed in on Meloetta, she used Close Combat to block, punching and kicking every single one into debris before they could hit her.

Huh. Pikachu was impressed! It seemed she'd taken inspiration from watching Oshawott's battle with Pansage.

Krookodile seemed slightly shaken by her display of power. Ash, however, looked more excited than ever to be battling her.

Bouncing up and down, Meloetta waved a hand teasingly. "(How's that~?)" she asked.

Krookodile shook off the shock of her attack and huffed. "(Not bad there, girly,)" he replied. "(But I'm just warming up, so get ready!)"

Meloetta giggled. "(Oh, I'm ready~)"

"Krookodile!" Ash cried. "Use Dragon Claw!"

His claws glowing blue, Krookodile ran towards Meloetta, ready to strike.

Then a beam suddenly struck the ground directly in front of the crocodile, barely missing him. It kicked up a dust cloud and a huge gust of wind.

Pikachu covered his face with a yelp. He could hear Meloetta screeching and everyone yelling in confusion. What the heck was going on?! Were they being attacked?!

Hearing a strange roaring sound, he looked up to see something descending. Something with... rockets? Was it Team Rocket?!

He got ready to scowl angrily at them when he paused. Wait, no. That wasn't Team Rocket.

As it landed in front of Meloetta - who gasped in shock - he realised what it was.

A golurk? What was a golurk doing here?

Wait... that wasn't important! This thing had attacked Krookodile, so, Team Rocket or not, it was a still a threat! Getting on all fours, he ran over and stood in front of Krookodile.

"(What do you want?)" he asked angrily.

As Ash scanned it with his pokédex, a man came running around the corner towards Meloetta.

"Are you alright, Meloetta?" he asked.

She happily flew up and hugged him. "(Ridleyyyy!)" she cried.

Oh, she knew this guy?

"Villain!" the man named Ridley said, looking at Ash. "You stole Meloetta!"

... Villain? Stole Meloetta? What the heck?!

"Ash is not a thief!" Iris yelled angrily.

"(Yeah, he's not!)" Pikachu agreed, standing up on his hind legs.

"Enough lies!" Ridley replied. "Golurk, Flash Cannon!"

Golurk lifted his arm cannon, aiming it directly at the group. It began to glow yellow.

"Hey!" Ash called out in a panic. "Hang on a minute!"

Okay, no! Pikachu was not going to allow this!

Jumping forwards, he held out his arms defensively. "(Hey!)" he cried. "(Cut it out! We're telling the truth!)"

Golurk didn't listen.

"(No!)" Meloetta cried, flying in front of Pikachu. "(Don't hurt my friends! Please!)"

It was only then that Golurk turned off his Flash Cannon.

"(... Friends?)" he asked.

"I'm not your enemy!" Ash said. "You've gotta believe me!"

"(Yeah, he's right!)" Pikachu added.

"(They've been really nice to me!)" Meloetta said pleadingly. "(They're not the ones who stole me!)"

After a long pause, Golurk turned to look at Ridley.

"... They aren't the ones who stole you?" Ridley guessed.

Meloetta shook her head. "(No.)" She transformed back into aria forme. "(No, they're not.)"

"... So then... I made a mistake?"

She nodded. "(Yes.)"

He blinked. "Oh... I see... Well..." He glanced around. "... This is rather awkward..."

Ash huffed out a chuckle. "Well, you did kind of attack us outta nowhere," he replied.

"Yeah!" Iris agreed, huffing. "Only little kids are so rash!"

"(No kidding!)" Axew agreed, also huffing.

"Um..." Ridley replied awkwardly.

After a moment of silence, Cilan cleared his throat. "... Hey," he said, "how about we all go sit inside? I get the feeling this recipe has a long list of ingredients to explain."

Ridley blinked at Cilan's strange language. "... Yes, I... suppose that's true... I think."

* * *

Once they were seated inside Cynthia's living room, Ridley apologised for his behaviour. Being quickly forgiven by everyone, he began his explanation.

Apparently, he, Meloetta and Golurk had been in hiding deep within some secret forest in Unova. Up until the day they'd been discovered and Meloetta had been captured by villains.

Ridley had blamed himself for her capture, since he'd been responsible for her safety, but had lapsed his attention at a critical time.

Ever since then, he and Golurk had been searching for her.

As it turned out, though, he didn't own her. He was a member of a group called The Protectors, who have, since ancient times, had the power to detect when Meloetta was nearby.

Huh. Well, Pikachu certainly hadn't expected that to be where she came from. Some random forest in Unova. The way she'd teasingly dodged around the topic every time had made him wonder if she really had come from the ocean. He was strangely disappointed.

Though what had Ridley meant by 'her immense power' that these villains he'd mentioned probably wanted?

"(Huh?)" Meloetta suddenly asked.

Pikachu looked up to see what had caught her interest and saw her looking out the window at something.

... What was that? A flying camera, or something?

"Oh no!" Ridley said in panic. "The villains, they're here!"

What?! Oh no. It looked like he might get the answer to his question, after all...

* * *

... Great. Just great. First, some random Team Rocket grunts had tried to capture Meloetta, so Ridley had acted as a distraction. Then they'd run into Jessie, James and Meowth, who'd been fitted with special goggles to see Meloetta, even when she was invisible!

After splitting up with Cilan, Iris and Axew, Ash and Pikachu had then run into Giovanni - the freaking boss of Team Rocket - and been forced into some weird rainbow cube, where they'd almost been crushed to death.

Meloetta had needed to beg, plead and promise to go along quietly before Giovanni had relented. Jeez...

Now the three of them - with Meloetta in a separate rainbow cube - were in a Team Rocket submarine, going deep underwater. Pikachu had tried using Iron Tail on the cube to break it, but it had held fast, so that option was out.

What the heck was going on?

* * *

Pikachu stared. No freaking way.

The group had arrived at some strange undersea temple that Meloetta apparently recognised, before the legendary had been attached to some weird stone device. Now the song she'd sometimes sung to the ocean was playing on a recorder, causing a large stone podium to rise in the middle of the room.

What the heck was going on?! And did this mean that Team Rocket had been following them, recording Meloetta?! If so, why hadn't they struck sooner?! And what kind of 'immense power' were they after?!

Just what the heck was even going on?!

Now the song was changing. Changing to... that haunting melody that she'd sung only last night?! That confirmed that they'd been spying on them!

With Giovanni's speech about how the song only works when she sings it 'at peace', Pikachu had to wonder how long they'd been tailing them for. The entire three weeks that Meloetta had been with them?!

This was probably the sneakiest plan they'd ever concocted!

... Okay, now Giovanni was spouting some lines to something called a 'reveal glass' and... wait, why was the whole temple rising now?!

Jeez, this day was getting wilder and wilder...

He'd just expected another average day of training, but apparently not!

* * *

The sky was dark, lightning was striking all around and Giovanni had summoned the forces of nature. In the sky around them floated Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus.

As Giovanni used the reveal glass to 'change their form', Ash could apparently sense that something horrible was about to happen. He turned to Pikachu and told him to use Iron Tail again, as many times as it took.

Pikachu agreed. Especially since Team Rocket and their scientist, Dr. Zager, were far too distracted right now to try and stop him.

* * *

Everything had fallen into chaos. Meloetta was screaming in agony, Giovanni was brimming with the power of the ancients and Pikachu was part of an intense sky battle against the transformed forces of nature.

Dragonite, who tried to battle too many at once, was taken down by Tornadus' Air Cutter and Landorus' Stone Edge. As he lay on the ground, injured, Thundurus approached him, ready to finish him off with Thunder.

Unfezant flew closer to the scene, with Pikachu on her back. The mouse watched in shock and horror as Iris stood in front of Dragonite, her arms spread out protectively.

Just what the heck was she doing?! Even though Dragonite's typing cancelled out his resistance to electricity, he'd still be able to handle it better than her!

Thundurus was an out-of-control legendary, probably with boosted powers due to the reveal glass, and Iris was just going to stand in front of him?!

Even he, himself, could handle it better than her!

... In that brief moment, he pictured his old man. The guy who loved to train. Loved to get stronger. Practically dedicated his life to it. The reason why he, himself, loved to train and get stronger.

Nothing fazed his old man... and he knew exactly how the raticate would handle this.

Leaping off Unfezant's back, he aimed himself in-between Iris and the Thunder attack.

"(Oh no, you don't!)" he yelled.

When the attack hit, his electric sacs erupted in pain. Owww, ow, ow, ow, good legends, that hurt!

Picturing his old man again, hearing his words of encouragement in his head, he gritted his teeth, trying to absorb the electricity into his body. The raticate would say it was 'good training', so he had to keep it up.

He just had to.

"(Hang on, I'm coming!)" Unfezant cried out.

Shooting Air Cutter, she distracted Thundurus enough for him to cut his Thunder attack and retreat. Pikachu dropped like a rock, thankfully landing in Ash's arms.

His body buzzed with electricity, though it no longer hurt now. All that was left was a slight stinging sensation, so he'd manage.

* * *

The sky battle continued raging above, with the forces of nature only getting more and more powerful. They somehow managed to create a beam of light that covered a large chunk of ocean - and even part of Lacunosa Town - in ice.

Just what the heck were they dealing with here?!

Pikachu angrily stood on top of the temple, glaring at Team Rocket. His body still stung, but he willed himself to ignore it. He had much bigger priorities now!

"You really think you can stop us?!" Giovanni called out mockingly.

With a wave of his arm, the forces of nature abruptly turned around and flew straight towards them. The pokémon they'd been fighting were on their tail, but wouldn't be fast enough to catch up in time.

If he and Ash were going to act, they'd have to do it now.

"Now, Pikachu!" Ash cried out, apparently thinking the same. "Electro Ball!"

Leaping into the air, Pikachu charged electricity to his tail. He formed it into a ball shape.

... Then the ball shape kept on growing.

It grew and grew and grew and oh, good legends, the power! He felt it surging through every vein in his body! How the heck was he doing this?! He didn't think he had this much voltage in him!

It continued to grow. He could feel the immense power pulsating from it, just behind him.

With a command from Ash, he fired it.

The podium exploded into debris on impact. Team Rocket screamed as they all flew off their feet and landed in a heap around the chunks of broken stone.

With a satisfied huff, Pikachu landed back on the temple. While Meloetta was being rescued by Unfezant, he reflected on what he'd just done. He'd destroyed a giant frigging podium by himself! Heck yeah!

If only his old man could see him now! He could just imagine him nodding in approval, showering him in praise and then telling him to keep up the great work.

Heck, maybe he'd even surpassed him in power by now!

... Then again, it had probably only happened because of Thundurus' Thunder attack.

Ah, dang it.

... Oh great, and now Giovanni had been possessed by the reveal glass and wanted to destroy all of Unova, instead of merely conquering it. Which, according to Ridley, was because Meloetta was no longer acting as a balancer to help him maintain his sanity.

This day was just getting better and better...

* * *

Once Jessie, James and Meowth managed to snap Giovanni out of his possession, the entire group of Team Rocket retreated in their helicopter.

Well, that took care of them, Pikachu supposed. Here he'd thought he'd have to power himself up a second time, but it seemed that wasn't necessary.

All that was left now was the completely out of control weather trio.

Oh boy...

* * *

Pikachu watched in awe as Ridley summoned a giant rainbow-coloured light from the reveal glass. It travelled high into the air, where it swirled around a floating Meloetta in a beautiful pattern.

Then she started singing her calming song. The one that he'd heard her sing quite often. Ever since the day they'd found her lying on the road with a fever.

The strange magic of the reveal glass seemed to calm them down. Their eyes were no longer glowing red and they no longer looked hostile.

After changing back to their regular formes, they seemed to thank Meloetta before disappearing back through the portals in the sky.

Then the dark clouds disappeared and it no longer looked like night-time.

Everyone clambered onto Cynthia's speedboat and left the area. Looking back, the temple could be seen sinking back down into the ocean, where it belonged.

... Phew. It was finally over.

* * *

Once back at Cynthia's villa, everyone decided to sit around and relax. The day had been one heck of an adventure and they were all exhausted.

Pikachu exhaled in relief as he rested on the couch. Axew hopped over and sat down next to him.

"(Hey!)" the dragon said happily. "(That was an awesome Electro Ball earlier!)"

Pikachu gave him a tired smile. "(Heh, thanks,)" he replied.

"(Do you think you can do it again? Make it huge and explody and stuff?)"

"(Heh. I wish. I think it was only 'cause of Thundurus.)"

Axew pouted. "(Aww... that sucks.)"

"(Tell me about it.)"

It was then that someone popped out of their pokéball and appeared next to Pikachu on the couch.

"(Hey, guys!)" Oshawott said with a bright smile.

Pikachu stared at him. "(... Uh... wait, where were you earlier?!)"

"(Yeah,)" Axew agreed, "(you've been gone since the battle!)"

Oshawott rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "(Well, I was... napping,)" he replied.

Pikachu continued to stare in disbelief. "(... Napping,)" he repeated.

"(Yeah.)" Upon seeing their faces, Oshawott huffed. "(I didn't get much sleep last night, okay?!)" He pouted. "(I was tired...)"

Pikachu and Axew exchanged glances of disbelief.

"(Did you hear nothing that happened?)" Pikachu asked.

Oshawott blinked in confusion. "(Not really.)"

"(None of it?)" Axew asked.

"(Nope.)" Oshawott shrugged. "(I kinda wasn't paying attention.)"

Pikachu couldn't believe he was hearing this. All of the pain and suffering that Meloetta had gone through and Oshawott - the guy who'd called her 'the one' - had been asleep through it?

He heaved a sigh. Okay. Guess he had some explaining to do...

* * *

By the end of the story, Oshawott was in tears.

"(I can't believe I slept through that!)" he cried.

"(I can't either...)" Pikachu replied tiredly.

"(I've gotta make it up to Meloetta! Right now!)" Oshawott looked around frantically, until he saw her floating near Ash and Ridley. Jumping off the couch, he ran straight towards her. "(Meloetta!)"

She looked down at him in surprise. "(Oh,)" she said, "(hello again.)"

"(I'm sorry I wasn't there! I was asleep and... and...!)"

"(Oh. Oh, I see.)" She smiled sheepishly. "(Well, that explains why you weren't around...)"

He cried harder.

Good legends, this was pathetic...

* * *

Later, everyone was sitting down to dinner. In-between bites of pellets, Pikachu recounted the tale of his giant Electro Ball to Pignite, Krookodile and Scraggy, who all seemed enraptured by his story.

"(Man, I wish I coulda seen that!)" Pignite said.

"(Yeah, it sounds incredible,)" Krookodile added.

"(Show me it, show me it!)" Scraggy demanded.

Pikachu laughed awkwardly. "(Hey, it's not like I can just conjure it up whenever,)" he replied. "(I told you, it was because of Thundurus.)"

All three of them pouted. "(Awww...)" they said in perfect synch.

Vaguely amused, Pikachu glanced elsewhere at his other friends as he chewed another pellet.

Judging by the various reactions around him, everyone seemed to be learning about the day's adventure from anyone who'd been there. Some looked thrilled, others looked shocked and a few looked disappointed that they'd missed it.

Then he spotted Dragonite having an actual conversation with Excadrill, which made him blink in surprise. Huh. Apparently, what he'd heard was true. That, sometime during their temple adventure, the dragon had stopped being stubborn and had actually connected with Iris. Most likely when she'd jumped in front of the Thunder attack that had been meant for him.

Looking elsewhere, Pikachu faltered when his gaze landed on Oshawott, who was sitting with Meloetta. The two were deep in conversation about something as they ate.

Hmm. As Pikachu watched them converse, he couldn't help but wonder... could it still work out between them?

"(... Yo, man, you okay?)" Krookodile asked.

Pikachu's head snapped back around to look at the three pokémon he was sitting with. Krookodile was frowning in concern, Pignite looked worried and Scraggy seemed a bit wary.

He forced on a smile. "(Uh, yeah!)" he replied. "(Yeah, I'm fine.)"

Huffing, Krookodile leaned back into a more comfortable sitting position. "(If you say so, man,)" he said.

"(Yeah.)" Pikachu resisted the urge to look back over at Oshawott. "(Yeah, I do.)"


	13. Eerie Echoes

Author's note: Hey there, guys!

Today, for you, I have a haiku.

Little yellow mouse / Steadfast, like a great stone wall / Beware the rough seas

Thank you. *bows*

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen** **: Eerie Echoes**

After dinner, all of the small pokémon had decided to play around on Golurk. The golem had his arms spread out and was standing as still as a statue, while they used him as a climbing frame.

On one shoulder was Pikachu. He briefly admired how high up he was, before he heard sniggering above him. Glancing up, he could see Emolga standing on top of Golurk's head, a toothy grin on her face.

So she was still being competitive, even though Snivy wasn't here, was she? Typical. The squirrel was also probably going to brag about it the next time she saw the snake, knowing her...

Glancing elsewhere, he saw Pansage swinging from Golurk's fingers, while Glaceon - who was standing on Golurk's arm - watched in amusement. Looking at Golurk's other hand, Pikachu could see Axew and Scraggy trying the same thing, but with less success.

... Wait, where was Oshawott?

Pikachu glanced around the area, until his eyes eventually landed on the otter. He and Meloetta seemed to be heading down the steps to the beach.

Huh? Why were they going down _there_?

He continued to watch as the duo descended the stairs. They disppeared below the horizon, no longer in view.

... He had a strange, burning desire to go and investigate - especially since they'd decided to do this while no one else was paying attention - but no. He'd told himself not to snoop anymore. To just leave them to it and stop being so nosy.

His gaze never left the stairs.

When he caught himself staring, he tried to shake it off and get back to what he'd been doing.

... Which hadn't been much, actually. He'd only been admiring the view from a much higher altitude than normal.

His gaze drifted back over to the stairs.

... Ehhh, maybe one last bit of snooping wouldn't hurt.

No, no, 'investigation', he should call it. Yeah, one last investigation.

He just... really wanted to know what was going on with Oshawott and Meloetta. After this, he'd stop for sure.

Nodding to himself, he climbed down Golurk. Once at the golem's feet, he paused, taking a quick glance upwards.

Just as he'd suspected, no one had even noticed - or cared - that he'd moved.

Nodding again, he headed towards the stairs.

* * *

Standing at the top of the stairs, Pikachu watched the conversation below. Thankfully, Oshawott and Meloetta were too busy talking to notice him, but he also couldn't hear a thing they were saying up here. Dang...

He contemplated giving up and heading back over to Golurk. After all, he couldn't learn anything if he couldn't even hear them.

He was just about to move when he noticed Oshawott grab one of Meloetta's hands in both paws. Pikachu halted, staring in intrigue.

Oshawott said something. Something heartfelt, apparently, because Meloetta's other hand flew up to her mouth in shock.

... Wait. Wait. Was Oshawott doing what Pikachu thought he was doing?!

He faced the scene fully again, unable to look away. Oshawott continued to talk - saying who knows what, because Pikachu couldn't hear him - and Meloetta was quietly listening.

... It brought to mind a similar scene from around three weeks ago...

Pikachu shook his head, trying not to think about that.

... It did remind him an awful lot of it, though...

He shook his head again, trying to focus on what was going on below him.

Eventually, Oshawott stopped speaking. He looked like he was waiting for a response from Meloetta.

The legendary paused a long moment. Taking a deep breath, she gave him her response. Pikachu strained his ears to try and hear it, but it was no use. She was too quiet and too far away. Well, Oshawott's reaction should be more than enough indication, whenever he gave it.

He watched as the otter listened in intrigue. Then Meloetta glanced away, looking really awkward, and Oshawott's face fell harder than a sack of bricks.

... Oh no.

She pulled her hand away from his paws, continuing with whatever she was saying, as Oshawott looked more and more devastated by the second.

A rock felt like it had plummeted straight into Pikachu's stomach.

... She'd... she'd done the same thing he'd done to Buneary.

He stared, dumbfounded, as Meloetta said one last thing, before flying back up the stairs. Below her, tears were starting to fall from Oshawott's eyes as he called up to her.

She cringed, but never once turned around.

As she passed by Pikachu at the top of the stairs, she gave him a brief, surprised glance. He returned it, his mind oddly blank. After a moment, she kept on flying in the direction of the others.

Pikachu blinked once. Then twice. Slowly, he turned his head back around to look at Oshawott.

Below, the otter locked eyes with him, acknowledging he was there, but not seeming to care at all. He was too busy sobbing in dismay.

An image entered Pikachu's mind. One where _he_ was the one ascending the stairs, instead. Where the one on the beach wasn't an otter, but a rabbit.

Had... _she_ been this upset back then? She'd looked fine afterwards, so he'd assumed she'd been okay, but... then her moves hadn't worked.

... Had he left her sobbing on the beach? Had... that been why she'd taken so long to show her face again?

He felt something inside him tear itself in half as Oshawott walked up the stairs, towards him.

* * *

"(She rejected meeee!)" Oshawott screeched, still sobbing.

Pikachu gently patted him on the back. "(I know...)" he replied.

"(But she was the one, man! _The one_!)"

He gave him a pitying look. "(... I know...)"

"(She... she said she was gonna leave soon! So I wanted to... to tell her and... and ask her out, but...! But...!)"

"(Yeah...)"

All of this was so painful to listen to, but Pikachu had to try his best. For Oshawott's sake.

* * *

Just when Pikachu thought he'd calmed Oshawott down, Ridley said that it was time for him, Golurk and Meloetta to leave.

The floodgates opened a second time.

Man... it really broke Pikachu's heart to see his friend like this. As annoying as the otter had been lately, he couldn't bring himself to be annoyed at _all_ right now.

Oshawott had been rejected a lot of times over the course of their Unova journey, but he'd never reacted like _this_. Sure, there had been devastation, sadness and maybe the odd few tears, but never _this_.

Had... he actually been serious when he'd said she was 'the one'?

Pikachu glanced up at the humans. They were casting Oshawott concerned glances while returning the rest of their pokémon to their pokéballs, but didn't seem to be taking his tears seriously at all. In fact, was that a tired smile on Iris' face?

... They thought he was being melodramatic, as always, didn't they?

Well, he supposed _he'd_ have thought the same, if he hadn't heard about it firsthand from the otter, himself. This situation was a bit different than usual...

* * *

Now back down on the beach, where Ridley had said they would set off from, Oshawott was still sobbing.

Pikachu gave him another comforting pat on the back. "(Hey, it's okay...)" he said.

"(Yeah, don't cry...)" Axew said, also giving him a pat on the back.

"Because of all you've done," Ridley said to the other humans, "we can now go back home and live in peace. Thanks."

"(Yeah, thanks!)" Meloetta added.

Oshawott sobbed harder.

The tear in Pikachu's heart grew even more painful. Especially since Meloetta seemed to be doing her level best to pretend she couldn't see, or even hear, Oshawott.

He felt a stab of annoyance towards her. Couldn't she at least _look_ at him?!

"(It's... okay...)" he said half-heartedly to Oshawott.

The humans all started saying goodbye. Meloetta even flew over and gave Ash a goodbye hug, rubbing salt all over Oshawott's wound.

Again trying to comfort Oshawott, Pikachu frowned up at Meloetta, who was saying how she'd miss Ash and that she'd cheer him on in the Unova League.

It was then that he pictured someone else in her place. A rather familiar face that made the blood in his veins boil.

He quickly shook his head, trying to dispel the image. No. He didn't want to think about that anymore.

Instead, he forced on an incredibly painful smile as Ridley clambered aboard Golurk. The golem fired up his rocket and lifted himself into the air. Letting go of Ash, Meloetta said one last goodbye and followed after them, now en route to whatever new home The Protectors had moved to.

They'd probably never see her again after this.

"(Goodbyeeee!)" Oshawott cried, running forwards.

Axew ran after him. "(Byeeee!)" he called out.

Pikachu did the same. "(Y-Yeah!)" he called out. "(... Bye!)"

As the three of them flew away, Meloetta sang the same goodbye song that she'd sung when Dawn had left.

Something stabbed painfully through Pikachu's heart at the realisation, but he fought to keep the smile on his face. As much as it hurt to do so.

* * *

"(Jeez...)" Axew said, back to patting Oshawott on the back, "(you're really upset about her leaving, huh?)"

Oshawott continued to sob. He didn't look able to reply.

Sighing, Pikachu decided to do it for him. "(M... Meloetta rejected him,)" he replied, feeling another stab to his heart.

Axew looked shocked. "(Really?!)"

"( _Yeeees_!)" Oshawott screeched. He sobbed some more. "(She was the one! _The one_!)"

"(H-Hey, come on...)" Pikachu replied, also patting him on the back. "(I'm sure you'll find _another_ 'one'...)"

Oshawott shook his head. "(No, I won't! She was the one!)"

As Axew gave the otter a pitying gaze, Pikachu felt yet another stab to the heart.

* * *

That night, Oshawott retreated back into his pokéball. Perhaps to cry some more, Pikachu wasn't sure.

Jeez... it kind of reminded him of when Marill had rejected Piplup, back in Sinnoh. When she'd chosen to date Elekid over _him_. The penguin had cried about it for a while, before getting over it that very night.

... Was Oshawott still crying? He really hoped not. He wanted the otter to get a good night's rest...

From his place on Ash's bed, Pikachu stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Maybe... maybe Oshawott really... _had_ meant it, after all... The whole 'she's the one' thing...

It was a pity that Meloetta hadn't returned the sentiment...

He frowned up at the ceiling. Not wanting to date Oshawott was one thing, but refusing to even _look_ at him?

Sure, it was probably awkward to look someone in the eye after rejecting them, but...

He recalled Buneary again. The pain on her face. The tears in her eyes.

He clenched his own eyes shut, willing the image away.

... But then he recalled Meloetta again. Leaving behind a heartbroken Oshawott. One that had been filled with hope... dreams of happiness and romance...

He opened his eyes, going back to staring at the ceiling. Had all that been what Buneary had felt, too? Had he...?

No, no... she'd get over it, right? Heck, she probably _had_ done, already!

... But what if she hadn't?

But it had been three weeks! There was no way she hadn't gotten over it by now! After all, nobody who'd ever been rejected had been sad for long! Heck, when Sceptile had been rejected by Meganium, he'd lost his moves for a couple of days, but had gotten them back quickly enough! All he'd needed was a bit of friendship and support!

... But Buneary hadn't gotten her moves back at all in the time she'd been in Unova.

But, then again, she'd stopped _using_ her moves after a few days, so maybe she'd gotten them back and no one had even realised! Not even her!

... So why had she been avoiding him?

Because... she'd had other friends to make! She'd been going around, talking to all the Unova pokémon, after all, and there were certainly a lot of them! So it made sense that it would take a while!

... But two whole weeks? And, every time he'd tried to talk to her, she'd stayed out of his way.

Well... that was because...

Because...

... Because it was awkward talking to someone who'd just rejected you...

* * *

Pikachu didn't know how much time had passed. Hours, probably, but he had no clue how many.

He'd been tossing and turning all night, trying his absolute best to get to sleep, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

His head was buzzing from the overload of thoughts inside it. Every time he'd try to sleep, a myriad of faces would flash by in his mind, one after the other, causing more thoughts to buzz around his brain.

Urgh... he was never getting to sleep, was he?

* * *

 _Before him was a beautiful, bountiful forest. Everywhere the eye could see, fruit and berries of all shapes, sizes and colours covered the trees and bushes. The grass beneath his feet was soft and velvety. Pokémon roamed around freely, singing melodic harmonies that perked up his spirit as he walked._

 _It was truly paradise._

 _He continued on his stroll, enjoying the cool breeze on his face and the sunbeams shining down from above, which speckled his fur in light._

 _He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the mountains. Ahhh... there was no fresher smell._

 _When he opened his eyes again, before him was a barren wasteland. One that held no life. The trees were bare, the ground was a layer of untread dirt and there were no pokémon in sight._

 _He looked around him sadly. This land had once been so prosperous. So promising! But now look at it._

 _It was a wreckage._

 _He slowly made his way across the dirt. Several dead twigs cracked under his feet. The forest - or what was left of it - echoed with a strange sense of emptiness._

 _Voices. He could hear voices._

 _They were faint, but he could hear them. They sounded so distant, but they were there._

 _"(Hello?)" he called out into the empty air._

 _A ghostly figure appeared in front of him. One shaped like an otter. It faded away immediately afterwards._

 _"(H... Hello?)" he called out again._

 _Another ghostly figure appeared, one of a floating humanoid. It faded away again._

 _"(Hello?!)" he called out, a bit louder._

 _He looked around, searching. Searching for any sign of life._

 _But no one responded._

 _Yet another ghostly figure appeared, this one a rabbit. It looked him dead in the eyes, a sad expression on its face. Then it faded away again._

 _More kept appearing, one after the other. A flood of sad, ghostly figures. Except, now, they were no longer fading away._

 _They slowly filled the wasteland, making the air around him grow colder. Some figures were tall, some were short. Some stood on two legs, others on four. Even the figures from before were returning._

 _Every single face in the crowd was familiar, but one in particular stood out the most._

* * *

Pikachu blinked himself awake. He blinked again, glancing around the room.

Groaning slightly, he lay back down. Yep, it had just been a dream. A horrible dream, but a dream, nonetheless.

... He _would_ say that he was glad it was over, since it had _just_ been a dream, but... his heart knew better than that.

His heart knew just how much significance that dream had held.

He groaned again, rolling over.


	14. Total Turnaround

Author's note: Hiya, peeps!

Here's another haiku for you, because I do enjoy making haiku.

Ahem...

A cold, stone surface / Steps leading down, through darkness / Where are we going?

Thank you. *bows*

... I can also be incredibly pretentious, so yeah. XD But blame Fire Emblem: Fates for the haiku obsession.

Curse you, Mitama. *shakes fist at her*

Um, anyway... hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen** **: Total Turnaround**

The following day, Ash went to the pokémon centre to rotate out Pignite for Snivy. Atop his trainer's shoulder, Pikachu's head felt heavy with fatigue.

He hadn't slept much at all last night. Any sleep he _had_ gotten had been plagued by unpleasant dreams.

Urgh. Life really sucked, sometimes.

* * *

At breakfast time, Pikachu slowly nibbled on a pellet, too tired to really be hungry. His head still felt like a lead weight on his shoulders, so it was hard for his stomach to care.

He continued nibbling, anyway. After all, the pellets were fairly tasty and he didn't really want to waste any. So he powered on through.

* * *

"That was an awesome breakfast, Cilan!" Ash said as the bowls and plates were cleared away.

"Thank you, Ash!" Cilan replied. "I've been refining the recipe on that one for a while now!" He paused, then smiled sheepishly. "Literally, this time!"

"Maybe you should give Ash some cooking lessons," Iris said with a smirk. "Then maybe the little kid can feed _himself_ next region."

Ash frowned at her. "Hey, it's not like you can cook, either!" he retorted.

"Hey, I can cook _way_ better than you!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! I just..." She folded her arms and turned away. "Don't wanna step on Cilan's toes, is all."

"More like your cooking's probably bad."

She growled at him. "Excuse me!"

Cilan laughed awkwardly. "Now, now, you two..." he said. "A good meal needs all its ingredients in balance if it's going to work."

Iris huffed and stuck her tongue out at Ash. He did the same back.

Pikachu watched the entire exchange with a small, amused smile. He was still very tired, but he did enjoy listening to the humans banter.

He closed his eyes a moment, feeling an annoying buzzing in his head. He'd have to make sure to nap later.

As long as nothing annoyed him while he was in this state, he'd be okay. He could be extra cranky when tired.

For now, maybe he'd just rest for a bit.

Yeah. Yeah, that sounded good. He'd sit somewhere quiet and rest. Hopefully, Ash wouldn't ask him to do any training until later.

The beach sounded good. Maybe he'd go down there.

... Then again, that place had bad memories associated with it, so maybe not.

Maybe the nearest wall outside the villa would be better.

* * *

Resting against the stone wall, Pikachu sighed in contentment. Behind him, the scent of flowers wafted through his nostrils, calming him. It was a very pleasant summertime smell.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the soothing darkness of his eyelids. Well, it was still rather bright out - so his eyelids weren't all that dark - but it was certainly better than nothing.

Elsewhere, he heard Ash talking about who he was going to train today. Cilan seemed to notice that Pikachu was relaxing, because he suggested using someone else.

Good. Sure, he liked training, but he really wasn't in the best shape to do it right now.

"(Heeeey, babe~!)" a familiar voice sang.

Pikachu's eyes snapped open. He whirled his head around to find Oshawott winking at Emolga.

... What?

She smirked dryly at him. "(Oh, what?)" she asked. "(Back to flirting with me, now?)"

"(You know it, babe~!)"

"(Heh. Shoulda figured.)"

"(So! Any apples you want this big, strong guy to get for you?)"

She giggled. "(Weeeell...)" She pulled a cutesy pose. "(I certainly wouldn't complain~!)"

"(Gotcha!)" He smacked a paw to his chest. "(Be right back, babe~!)"

"(Okay~!)"

... What?

What?

 _What_?!

Pikachu watched in shock and disbelief as Oshawott merrily skipped in the direction of the woods. On the way, the otter passed by Unfezant.

"(Heyyyy, babe~!)" he said to her.

She looked at him in exasperation.

He passed by Snivy and winked. "(Hey, looking good, babe~!)"

She rolled her eyes at him.

He passed by Garchomp and waved. "(Hey, babe~!)

She gave him a cool gaze, then turned away again.

He passed by Gastrodon. "(Hey there, babe~!)"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

He passed by Glaceon. "(Heyyyy, babe~!)"

She looked like she was about to laugh in disbelief.

... Pikachu couldn't believe what he was seeing.

As Oshawott began to walk past him, a million thoughts and memories raced around his brain. It began to ache and throb with anger. He could feel his blood boiling in his veins.

Oshawott turned to him, a jolly smile on his face. "(Hey, Pikachu!)"

"(... What was _that_?)" Pikachu asked as calmly as he could.

Oshawott blinked. "(Huh? What was what?)"

Pikachu indicated the other girls with his paw, a little too forcefully. "( _That_.)"

"(Huh?)" Oshawott glanced behind him. Looking back again, he shrugged. "(I dunno what you mean.)"

"(Oh, you don't, do you?)"

"(Nope.)" Oshawott blinked again. "(Say, you okay? You look like you got up on the wrong side of the bed.)" He laughed to himself. "(What's wrong?)" Grinning, he put his paws to his hips.

Everything about that pose made Pikachu want to smack him across the face.

"(... What's wrong?)" He paused, briefly trying to control his anger. He couldn't, though. It was threatening to explode out of him, like lava from a volcano. "(What's wrong?!)"

Oshawott took a step backwards in shock. "(Huh?)"

He climbed to his feet. "(Oh, I dunno... how about the fact that you lied through your frigging teeth?!)"

"(Huh?! What are you talking about?!)"

Nope. There was no controlling his anger anymore.

"(You know _damn well_ what I'm talking about!)"

Oshawott jumped in fright. "(Dude, what the heck?!)"

"(Meloetta! Ring any bells?! Or have you forgotten her, already?!)"

"(What?! Well, of course I haven't!)" Oshawott frowned back at him. "(Jeez, what crawled up _your_ butt and died?!)

Pikachu ignored the question. "(Well, clearly you _have_ if you're moving on so quick! 'The one'... Pah!)"

"(Well, she _was_! Or, at least, she _woulda_ been, but she said no, remember?!)"

"(Oh, so you're just gonna move on, just like that?! Find yourself a new 'one'?!)"

"(Well... see...!)" Oshawott shook his head, glaring harder. "(Why do you care, anyway?! You're the one who told me to do it!)"

Pikachu growled. "(Not the very next freaking day!)"

"(What is your problem?!)"

"( _You're_ my problem!)"

"(What the heck, man?! I'm only trying to get myself a girlfriend!)"

"(Yeah, by being a lying, cheating-!)"

"(Hey, hey, hey...)" Snivy suddenly said from beside him. She gave Pikachu a brief glare. "(Calm down.)"

Pikachu huffed several times in rage. Taking a deep, calming breath, he tried to force himself to relax.

He released the air in a long breath.

After a moment, he turned his back on Oshawott. "(... Whatever. You wanna be like that, then... who cares?)" He wandered off, not looking behind him.

* * *

Now in the woods behind Cynthia's villa, Pikachu kicked a pebble in anger. It bounced away, along the dirt path.

He huffed to himself. He should have figured. All the stress he'd felt last night - all the sleep he'd lost out on - had been for nothing.

He'd thought that Oshawott would be devastated over Meloetta. He'd thought that the guy would take ages to get over his misery.

But ohhh no. Of course not.

Nothing was different at all. The otter had just gone straight back to his old ways, without a single care in the world. He couldn't have Meloetta, so he'd just take someone else, instead.

It was disgusting.

To think, he'd actually started to believe the otter. Believe that he'd meant what he'd said. That there was only one girl in the whole world for him and he'd accept no other.

Of course it wasn't true. Of _course_. He should've known...

Huffing again, he glanced down at the river beside him. In the shallow waters, he saw his own reflection glaring back at him.

After a while of staring at it, he imagined Oshawott's stupid face grinning up at him, instead. His frown deepened.

Then he imagined another face. A much more aggravating face. Grinding his teeth, he smacked a paw across the water, willing the image away.

* * *

After a while of fuming to himself, Pikachu had finally cooled down enough to head back to Cynthia's villa.

Breaking through the woodland and entering the clearing, his arrival attracted a fair bit of attention.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out, beaming. "There you are!"

"(Yeah, here I am...)" Pikachu grumbled.

Stopping what he was doing, Ash came running over. He stopped beside him. "You alright there, buddy?"

"(... Fine...)"

Kneeling down, Ash gave him a stroke on the head. "That's good. I got worried when you just stormed off into the woods! I woulda followed ya, but Cilan said some junk about leaving the kettle to cool, or... something."

Pikachu glanced over at Cilan, who gave him a sheepish grin. Iris, who was standing next to the connoisseur, groaned in annoyance.

"Of course _you_ wouldn't get it..." she said.

Ash turned to frown at her. "Hey, I got it just fine!"

She smirked. "Suuuure you did..."

"Hmph!" He looked back at Pikachu with a small smile. "Anyway, buddy... I dunno what you and Oshawott were fighting about, but I hope it's okay now."

"(... Yeah, I guess,)" Pikachu replied.

Ash smiled brighter. "Awesome!" Standing up, he clenched his fists in determination. "Then I'm gonna get back to training!"

Pikachu tiredly attempted to smile back. "(Kay...)"

Nodding, Ash set off back towards the battlefield.

Pikachu considered sitting against the wall again. Maybe taking a nap. He'd only come back so as not to worry Ash, after all.

That train of thought derailed the second he saw Snivy and Oshawott approaching. The otter was pouting and the snake looked rather stern.

Snivy put her hands on her hips. "(Alright then,)" she said, "(what was all that about, earlier?)"

Huffing, Pikachu looked away. "(What was what about?)"

"(Well, gee, I wonder...)"

"(Yeah!)" Oshawott interjected. "(You just started yelling at me outta nowhere! What'd I do, man?)"

"(... Gee, I wonder...)" Pikachu grumbled.

Snivy huffed. "(... This isn't like you at all,)" she said. "(What happened?)"

"(Nothing...)"

"(... Didn't look like 'nothing' to me,)" Emolga suddenly said from beside him. When he looked in her direction, the squirrel shrugged. "(Just saying.)"

"(Yeah and what'd you call me a cheater for?!)" Oshawott asked. "(I didn't cheat on _anybody_!)"

"(Pfft...)" Pikachu replied, not really in the mood to argue again.

"(He really didn't,)" Snivy added.

"(Yeah,)" Emolga agreed. "(Sure, he got over Meloetta _super_ quick, but they weren't dating, right? So that doesn't really count as cheating.)"

Pikachu huffed. So they were all going to gang up on him now, were they?

"(... Alright, fine,)" he replied. "(He's not a cheater.)" He glared down at the ground. "(For him to get over her so quick, though...)"

"(Well, hey,)" Oshawott said, "(she didn't want me, right? So might as well find another girl!)

Pikachu lifted his head to glare at him.

"(As much of a tail-chaser as he is,)" Emolga said, shrugging again, "(he's got a point.)"

"(Mmm,)" Snivy agreed. "(Maybe not loyal, but certainly no cheat.)" She paused, glancing sideways at Oshawott. "(At least, I assume so.)"

"(Hey!)" Oshawott argued, frowning at her.

Normally, Pikachu would be amused by that comment. All he felt, instead, was frustration. He just wanted to get away and nap.

He heaved a sigh. "(Whatever,)" he replied. "(I don't even care anymore.)" Turning away, he started walking towards a good napping spot.

"(... So what _did_ crawl up your butt and die?)" Snivy asked.

Emolga sounded like she was holding back a laugh.

Pikachu huffed again. "(None of your business... _Any_ of you.)"

"(Whoooa, Mr. Krabby Pants!)" Emolga replied cheekily. "(I think someone needs twenty chill pills!)"

"(Pfft, try thirty...)" Snivy replied.

Both Emolga and Oshawott laughed at the joke.

His frown deepening, Pikachu ignored them and kept on walking.

* * *

Relaxing against the wall with his eyes closed, Pikachu tried to nap. It was difficult, though. His head was still buzzing with stress over the whole ordeal.

If it was so easy for Oshawott to move on, then it must have been that way for Buneary, too. It must have. Because it was exactly as he'd thought.

No one stayed sad for long.

They were only sad when they couldn't get what they wanted. Then, once they got over it, they'd just go after someone else, instead.

He scowled to himself. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if Buneary had found someone else to fawn over already, in Johto.

He briefly tried to guess what species the guy would be. Something her size, probably. A sandshrew? A rattata? Maybe even another freaking pikachu?

Then again, Oshawott had flirted with a giant, two-headed ice cream cone before, so who knew. Maybe he was a freaking rhydon.

Growling in annoyance, he tried to make himself more comfortable, so that he could nap. He really needed to, after all.

Then he pictured the stupid rabbit's face again, beaming at him with stars in her eyes. That image just loved to haunt him, didn't it?

He shook his head to dispel it, then settled down to get back to his nap.

* * *

Eventually, Pikachu felt himself wash back into reality. Huh. How long had he been out? He didn't even remember falling asleep...

He moved his head around slightly, realising that it felt much lighter than before. He sighed in relief.

... Hmm? What was tickling his face?

He opened his eyes, only to see Axew and Scraggy scribbling over his face with marker pens.

They jumped in surprise, yelping.

"(Oh no, he caught us!)" Axew cried.

"(Bail! Bail!)" Scraggy cried.

The two of them ran off, still holding their marker pens.

Pikachu groaned, slumping against the wall. Great. Just great. This reminded him of Jigglypuff, before she'd disappeared sometime in Hoenn. He could only imagine what horrors were on his face right now...

... Also, where the heck had those two gotten marker pens from?

"(Ah, Sleeping Beauty's awake, it seems,)" Snivy's voice said from beside him.

He turned to look at her. She was smirking rather heavily. Probably at whatever abomination was on his face.

He heaved a sigh. "(Hi...)" he replied.

"(Hi.)" She folded her arms. "(So, have you cooled off now?)"

He glanced away awkwardly. "(Yeah...)"

"(Good. Now... what the heck was wrong with you? You're not normally so...)"

"(Yeah, yeah, I know... I just...)" He recalled all the memories. All the emotions. All the hurtful things he'd said. How they all bundled together into one big mess. He sighed again. "(I really don't wanna talk about it...)"

"(... Hmm. Is that so? Well, when you do, feel free.)"

"(... Yeah. Sure...)"

"(... For you to get so peeved at Oshawott over it, though...)"

"(Yeah, yeah...)"

He huffed. Perhaps he _had_ been a bit harsh in his delivery. Not that he would suddenly change his stance on the matter, though. Not by a long shot.

... Still, he supposed an apology to the otter wouldn't hurt. They were meant to be friends, after all.


	15. Ranging Rapport

Author's note: Hey, guys!

I, uh... haha... made a horrible mistake a couple of chapters ago. It's been edited out now, but my shame will forever be in the review section. *glooooooom*

Uh, anyway! Hope you enjoy the chapter! And, hopefully, I'll avoid making such jarring errors in the future!

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen** **: Ranging Rapport**

"(... I'm sorry,)" Pikachu said. "(For snapping earlier.)"

Oshawott blinked. "(Oh, you are?)" he asked.

"(Yeah. I was... really tired.)"

Oshawott grinned. "(And grouchy!)"

"(Mmm...)"

"(No worries, man! So long as we're cool.)"

"(Yeah. We're cool.)"

Oshawott suddenly glanced off to the side. "(Hey, it looks like Ash'll be training Snivy. Wanna watch?)"

Pikachu shrugged. "(Yeah, sure.)"

Oshawott beamed. "(Kay!)" He sat down.

Pikachu sat down beside him.

"Okay, Snivy, use Attract!" Ash called out.

Pulling a smug pose, Snivy winked, causing pink heart shapes to fly out of her eye. As she twirled on the spot, the heart shapes rotated around her in a circle.

"Now, Leaf Blade!"

The end of her tail glowed bright green. Jumping up, she smacked each heart shape away, one after the other.

"Now, finish up with Leaf Storm!"

Landing, then jumping again, Snivy threw her tail forwards, shooting out a small tornado of leaves. It hit every single heart shape, breaking them into debris. The debris then rained down onto the ground.

"Wow!" Cilan said. "Such a delectable performance!"

As she landed, Snivy put her hands on her hips, looking smug. Atop Iris' shoulder, Emolga pouted at the snake. When Snivy noticed, she puffed her chest out more.

They were being competitive, as always, apparently...

"Yeah!" Iris agreed. "Maybe the little kid should be a coordinator, instead~"

Emolga giggled at that, causing Snivy to huff.

"Hey," Ash said, slightly annoyed, "I'll have you know, I've competed in contests, too!"

Iris gave an exaggerated shrug. "Can't say I'm surprised!"

Ash's shoulders sagged. "... I honestly can't tell if that's an insult or a compliment..."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Take it however you like~"

Cilan smiled sheepishly. "Now, you two..." he said.

Suddenly, Oshawott turned away from the action, towards Pikachu. "(Snivy's looking pretty good, huh?)"

Pikachu looked at him blankly. "(... Huh?)" he asked.

Oshawott blinked. Then he chuckled awkwardly. "(I didn't mean like _that_!)" He paused. "(Though that's _also_ true...)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh.

There was a long, awkward pause between them.

"(... Say, Pikachu?)"

"(Mmm?)"

"(Why _did_ you get so mad earlier?)"

Pikachu tiredly furrowed his brows. "(Urgh...)"

"(I mean... all I did was flirt with some other girls... right?)"

"(So soon after Meloetta?)"

"(Well, yeah, but... you saw the result of that, right?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(So...)"

Pikachu heaved another sigh. "(You kept saying 'the one'. Over and over again, you said she was 'the one'... but the second she rejects you, you're back to flirting with everyone else.)"

"(Hey, it wasn't the _second_ she rejected me.)"

Pikachu gave him a dry look. "(It was the next day.)"

"(... Well, yeah, but still.)" Oshawott paused a moment. "(And she _was_ the one. Just... not anymore.)"

Pikachu frowned tiredly again, fed up with it all. "(You can't just hop from one to another in a day.)"

Oshawott grinned. "(Sure you can!)"

Pikachu groaned. "(Do you even know what a 'one' is?)"

"(Of course I do! It's the girl you wanna settle down with! Spend the rest of your life with!)"

Something stung inside Pikachu's chest, but he chose to ignore it.

"(... And Meloetta?)"

"(Well, I _did_ wanna spend the rest of my life with her! Buuuut she didn't feel the same... so I'm gonna find another 'one'!)"

Bringing a paw up to his face, Pikachu rubbed the bridge of his nose. "(... That's not how it works, Oshawott...)"

"(... Huh?)"

Pikachu heaved yet another sigh. "(... Look. Clearly, you weren't in love with her. I was starting to... to think so...)" He refrained from using the word 'hope'. "(But that wasn't it at all, was it?)"

"(Huh? Well... no, I don't think it was love... I don't even know what love feels like.)"

That made two of them, he supposed...

"(... So why _were_ you so obsessed with Meloetta, if it wasn't love?)"

"(Well... she was really pretty... and nice... and had a singing voice that could soothe your very soul~!)" Oshawott paused. "(Plus I flirted with her so much when Piplup was around that... I dunno, I got used to it.)"

"(... So the only reason was that you 'got used to it'?)"

Oshawott shrugged. "(Pretty much. That and she was _really_ beautiful! Like... I'd never _seen_ a more beautiful girl!)"

"(... Really.)"

"(Yeah!)"

"(You flirted with Togekiss as soon as you saw her.)"

"(Well...)"

"(Then Buneary.)"

"(Well...)"

"(And only stuck with Meloetta when Piplup liked her.)"

"(Well...!)" Oshawott pouted. "(I didn't wanna lose... and it was kinda like I won, after he left... 'cause me and Meloetta started to get along, you know? Like peas and carrots... even though I _hate_ peas.)"

Pikachu remembered watching them get along. He remembered wondering. Hoping.

"(Yeah...)"

"(So I thought she was the one! I thought we were destined! But then she said no... so I got really sad.)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(But then _you_ said to move on... find a different 'one'. I slept on it and realised 'Hey! He's right!' So I did.)"

Pikachu stared at him.

Oshawott blinked. "(... What?)"

Sighing again, Pikachu turned away. "(Nothing...)"

"(... Say, why are you so invested in my love life, anyway?)"

Pikachu frowned again. "(No reason...)"

"(Aw, come on, there _must_ be a reason! You blew your freaking top, just 'cause I'm not still crying over Meloetta!)"

Letting out a small sigh, Pikachu closed his eyes. "(... I don't really wanna talk about it.)"

"(... Oh. Oh. Well... okay then... I guess.)"

They settled into another awkward silence.

* * *

"Great job, Buneary!" Dawn said happily.

Finishing up her routine, Buneary beamed up at her trainer. "(Thanks!)" she replied.

Dawn let out a breath of air. "Okay... since the Wallace Cup's in five days, I should really pick a team soon."

Everyone cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

"(Me! Me!)" Pachirisu cried.

"(Of course, you have to pick _me_ ,)" Piplup said, flippers on his hips.

"(Meeee!)" Quilava cried, flaring up the flames on his back.

"Ohhh, but everyone's been doing so well..." Dawn said, her smile becoming slightly concerned. "It'd be a shame not to use any of you..."

"(No need to worry!)" Buneary replied, her smile still bright. "(Use whoever you like, Dawn! And the rest of us won't get salty.)" She glanced at her friends. "(Right, guys?)"

"(Yeah, I don't mind,)" Mamoswine replied.

"(Me neither, dear,)" Togekiss replied with a smile.

"(My salt will only be slightly... salty,) Quilava replied, pouting.

"(Well, it's still her call,)" Piplup replied, "(... but I still think she should use _me_.)"

"(Whoever she uses will be _awesome_!)" Pachirisu said. "(Really, really awesome! And Dawn knows what she's doing! She does!)"

Buneary smiled back up at Dawn. "(Yeah, see?)" she said. "(There's no salt in _their_ diet!)" She giggled. "(Well, not much, anyway.)"

Dawn blinked at all of her pokémon. Then she smiled, pumping her fists. "Alright, then!" she said. "No need to worry! You can count on _me_ to make good decisions!" She put on a thinking pose. "Now, let's see... Hmm... well, the Wallace Cup has... five rounds, from what I remember... The appeal round and the four battle rounds..."

Buneary vaguely remembered competing in the Sinnoh Wallace Cup. That had been a whole year ago now!

Once Ambipom had gotten them through the appeals, Buneary herself had battled in the second round, against a trainer's wailmer. It had been a strangely easy fight, from what she recalled. The guy hadn't hit her even once!

Then Pachirisu had taken the third round, while Piplup had taken the fourth and fifth.

Together, the four of them - plus Dawn, of course! - had won the Wallace Cup and earned the aqua ribbon! Which they'd then used to enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival!

They'd almost been as successful in that, but not quite. Sadly, they'd _just_ lost out to Zoey in the finals. Only by a few points, but still!

"Hmm..." Dawn said, still thinking. She cast her gaze over her pokémon. "Okay... I'm thinking... maybe we use Togekiss in the appeal round..."

"(As you wish,)" Togekiss said with a bow.

"And... hmm... maybe use Quilava in a battle round? You weren't there for the _Sinnoh_ Wallace Cup..."

"(All yours, if ya want me!)" Quilava replied.

"Hmm..." Dawn's gaze landed on Buneary. "... Then again... Buneary."

"(Hmm?)" Buneary asked.

"You just got your moves back..." She beamed. "So maybe I should use _you_! I thought about _not_ doing it, 'cause you didn't have them... but now you do, so maybe we should celebrate by having you battle!"

Buneary's eyes shone. "(Me? Battle?)"

"Yeah! It only seems right!" Dawn looked at her other pokémon. "What do _you_ guys think?"

"(Heck yeah!)" Pachirisu cried. "(Show 'em your stuff, Buneary!)"

"(Sounds like a good idea,)" Piplup said.

"(I agree,)" Togekiss said.

"(Go get 'em!)" Quilava said.

"(Sure,)" Mamoswine said. "(Why not?)"

Wow, getting to battle again! The last time she'd battled was when they'd been in Hoenn, winning ribbons! Because, when they'd gone to Unova, then...

... Well, yeah.

"(Show that jerk what he's missing!)" Pachirisu cried.

... Ouch. Way to hit a girl where it hurts. Not that he meant to do that, but still...

"Alright, then, it's settled!" Dawn said. "I'll use Togekiss... Quilava... Buneary... and..." She scanned over her pokémon. "Pachirisu! Since you didn't get to compete in the Junior Cup in Unova."

"(Yaaaay!)" Pachirisu replied.

"(Hey, what about me?)" Piplup grumbled.

"Piplup and Mamoswine," Dawn said, "you two already had a turn, so I want everyone _else_ to be in the spotlight! Okay?"

Piplup sighed. "(Yeah, yeah...)"

"(Sure, whatever,)" Mamoswine replied.

"Alright, great!" Dawn said. "Looks like I have my team!"

"... I _thought_ that was you, Dawn!" a feminine voice suddenly said.

Everyone turned around in surprise. Standing nearby was a girl with long brown hair and blue eyes, with a tiny ponytail just visible at the back. Buneary quickly glanced over her outfit. She was wearing a strappy red shirt over a strappy black shirt and... a pair of really short white shorts over some long black bicycle shorts?

Huh. Interesting choice of clothing... though it certainly matched the red and white ribbon tied around her head. There was also some orange and yellow on her, completing the look. It was rather odd, but, somehow, it seemed to work.

"May!" Dawn said happily.

Buneary blinked. Oh wait, that was May? Huh. Last time she'd seen her, she'd been wearing green and orange.

May giggled. "Hi!"

... Who was that handsome boy next to her, though? She'd certainly never seen _him_ before.

He had a mop of green hair and matching green eyes. Glancing over his outfit, Buneary could see an open red jacket - that was a darker shade than May's outfit - over a white shirt. Black tassels dangled down from the collar. He also had red shorts that matched the jacket, black fingerless gloves and... long black shorts underneath the red shorts?

Huh. Was that a trend lately, or something? To wear shorts over shorts?

He also had some yellow on his outfit, tying the whole thing together. In a figurative sense.

Again, an odd choice of clothing, but it seemed to work, somehow.

"Wow!" Dawn squealed. "Is that Drew?!"

... Drew? Buneary had never heard of a Drew.

Dawn rushed over to stand in front of the green-haired boy. "Hi there! I was a big fan of watching your contests before _I_ became a coordinator! It's great to finally meet you!"

Drew smirked. "Hmph," he replied, flipping his fringe. "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" Dawn paused a moment, then she gasped. "And that means I know both the prince _and_ princess of Hoenn!"

Drew paused. "Huh. Funny, everyone in Sinnoh's been calling us that."

Dawn giggled. "I'm not surprised! Sinnoh Now, which is the biggest TV network over there, coined the term ages ago!"

"Explains a few things..." May said, blushing slightly.

"So that means you're in Sinnoh now?" Dawn asked. Then she paused, before giggling at the accidental joke. "Not Sinnoh Now, but... you know what I mean."

May giggled, too. "Yeah, we're shooting for the Sinnoh Grand Festival. We did really well in the Johto Grand Festival, buuuut didn't quite make the cut. Did we, Drew?"

"Hmph," Drew replied, flipping his fringe again. "I almost had it..."

"Yeah, but then you lost to Solidad~"

"Heh, yeah... always a step ahead of us, that woman."

"You got that right!"

"She could've stopped after the Kanto Grand Festival, but she's still going strong."

May smiled sheepishly. "A little _too_ strong, if you ask _me_..."

Drew smirked in agreement. "Hmph."

Dawn chuckled awkwardly. "Should I be worried, then?" she asked.

"Naw," May replied. "She already has all five ribbons, so she didn't come to Johto."

Drew pulled a face. "Harley did, though..."

"Harley?" Dawn asked. "Hmm... I don't remember a Harley..."

"Oh, trust me, you'll know him when you see him..."

"Well, if you say so! So are you two staying at the pokémon centre?"

"Nah," May replied. "We're booked in a fancy resort nearby."

"A fancy resort?!"

"Yeah." May cast a sly grin in Drew's direction. "Drew's paying."

"Hmph," Drew replied.

"Wow, Drew," Dawn said, "can you even afford that?"

Drew flipped his fringe again. "Of course I can."

May chuckled. "Yeah, though most of it comes from his mom," she said.

Drew gave her a light glare. "I thought I said not to tell people that."

May winked cheekily at him. "Come on, it's not like Dawn will care~! Not unless she's part of your fan club."

Dawn laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, no need to worry!" she said. "And I only bought one Drew doll... b-but that was ages ago!"

May tried to hold back laughter, but failed.

"Hmph," Drew said, smirking again.

* * *

Sometime later, May and Drew let out all of their pokémon to play with Dawn's pokémon. Buneary was decently acquainted with May's pokémon, but she'd never seen Drew's. That soon changed, as she went around talking to them all.

It'd taken a while to do so in Unova - having been mainly focused on one thing at the time - but she wasn't about to do that a second time.

Ouch. She really hated that painful feeling in her heart...

She'd just have to ignore it and try to move past it. It's what _he_ would've said. Push past the pain and keep going. It'd always been how he'd handled tough training sessions.

Shaking her head to clear it, she went back to chatting with the other pokémon.

"(Bored,)" Skitty suddenly said from nearby. "(Bored. Wanna play. Let's play! Someone play with meeee!)" She ran in a circle, chasing her own tail.

"(Ooh, I'll play!)" Pachirisu replied. "(I'll play!)" He, too, ran in a circle, chasing his own tail.

Skitty squealed in delight. "(Bet I can catch my tail first!)"

"(No way, I'm gonna do it first!)"

They both sped up, madly trying to catch their tails. Buneary thought they looked very silly, but adorable all the same. She couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"(Ahuuuuh!)" Pachirisu posed victoriously, his tail in his mouth. "(I gawd it!)"

"(Dang, dang, you're good!)" Skitty stopped running in a circle. "(Okay, now race!)"

Pachirisu spat out his tail. "(Sure! I'm the best at racing, no one can catch me!)"

"(Ready? Goooo!)" Skitty went off running on all fours.

"(Yaaaay!)" Pachirisu went running after her, on two feet.

He easily outpaced her. She looked rather shocked.

"(No way, no way! You beat me again!)"

"(Yup! I'm the best at racing!)"

Skitty grinned as they both slowed to a stop. "(Wow, you're fun! Let's play more!)"

"(Okay!)"

Daww. It was rather cute how Pachirisu had found someone just as energetic as he was. They were like two peas in a pod.

... Buneary only wished _she_ could have found her matching pea. Sadly for her, she'd be getting a pod to herself, it seemed.


	16. Fervent Feelings

Author's note: Yo, peeps!

I'm really getting into the Shallow Waters groove as of late! It's nice, writing angsty, drama-y stuff for once. XP

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen** **: Fervent Feelings**

The following day, Dawn's team did some more training. Once they were done, they arranged to meet up with May's and Drew's teams again in the nearby forest, to hang out some more.

"(It's a lovely sunny day today, isn't it?)" Masquerain asked with a smile.

Buneary smiled back. "(It sure is!)" she replied. "(It's bright as an evolution out today!)"

Masquerain giggled. "(What?)"

"(You know, 'cause of the glowing when pokémon evolve!)" Buneary paused in thought. She looked up at the sky. "(Say, if someone uses Sunny Day while it's raining, where does the rain go? Does it just dry up?)"

He giggled again. "(You're a strange one~)"

Looking back at Masquerain, Buneary chuckled awkwardly. "(Yeah, well... it's good to wonder these things!)"

"(I suppose so~)"

Hearing a squeal of delight, Buneary glanced over at the noise, only to see Pachirisu and Skitty running in a large circle, chasing one another.

She smiled. Daww, how cute.

"Aww, they're adorable," May said from nearby.

"No kidding!" Dawn replied. "The two of them seem to get along really well."

May gasped. "You know what? I've got _just_ the thing for them! Wait here!"

Curious, Buneary glanced in the girl's direction. She was excitedly running off elsewhere.

Drew gave an exaggerated sigh as she left, but he was still smiling.

* * *

"(Coming at ya!)" Pachirisu cried out, kicking May's ball towards Skitty.

"(Got it~!)" Skitty called out, chasing after it. Once she caught up to it, she kicked it back. "(To you~!)"

"(Mine, mine, mine!)" Pachirisu raced after it.

"(Heh,)" Buneary said, watching them.

Nearby, Munchlax was shoving berries into his mouth. "(Shkitty shertainly sheems happy,)" he said through a mouthful of food.

Buneary did a double-take at him. "(Uh? Didn't you have breakfast yet?)"

"(Yup.)"

"(But isn't lunch soon?)"

"(Yup.)"

"(Oh...)"

She didn't really know what to say to that. Then again, he was part of the snorlax family, wasn't he? That probably explained his bottomless pit of a stomach.

She chuckled to herself.

"(Go long!)" Pachirisu suddenly cried out, attracting Buneary's attention.

She watched him kick the ball as hard as he could. It went flying through the air, higher than the time he'd kicked Oshawott's scalchop. At least, from what people had told her, afterwards. Because she kind of hadn't been paying attention at the time...

"(I got it, I got it!)" Skitty cried out, racing after it.

When the ball hit a tree, however, it got stuck.

Skitty skidded to a stop, a smile still on her face. "(Oh, oops!)"

"(Whoopsie!)" Giving a sheepish smile, Pachirisu ran over to the bottom of the tree. He looked up at the ball. "(My bad...)"

Skitty giggled. "(Looks like your 'go long' went _too_ long!)"

Pachirisu chuckled, still sheepish. "(No kidding...)"

Buneary giggled lightly to herself. Ah well, it was an easy fix! Five members of the group could fly, after all. Plus, she herself had Bounce. Not to mention, Pachirisu himself was really good at climbing trees. So it wouldn't be hard to get it down.

"(I got it!)" Absol suddenly called out, racing past her.

The wind from his speed blew her fluff around her face. Whoa...

She watched in fascination as he ran towards a neighbouring tree. Leaping, he twisted his body around, planted his feet on the bark and pushed off. Twisting, he did the same against the other tree. He kept this up several times, before launching himself into the air.

Now airborne, he made the dark blue scythe on his head glow white. Swinging his head, he sent out a crescent-shaped gust of wind. It hit the correct branch, easily picking up the ball and boomeranging it back over to him.

He caught it perfectly in his teeth.

Making himself glow slightly blue, he conjured a wave of water, which rose up from the grass. He landed on it, then rode it all the way down, where it was absorbed back into the grass. In a seamless motion, he landed on the ground.

Buneary stared.

Oh good... _legends_ , that had looked awesome.

"(Wow, thanks!)" Pachirisu said to him.

"(Yeah, thanks!)" Skitty said, happily wagging her tail.

Absol gently placed the ball on the ground. "(No problem,)" he replied.

"Hmph," Drew said, sounding amused, "showing off _again_ , Absol?"

Absol looked up at his trainer. "(Huh?)"

"(Yeah, some of us can fly, you know...)" Flygon said, sounding exasperated.

Absol blinked. He blinked again. "(Oh, right...)"

"(Urgh... get back over here.)"

"(Yeah, yeah...)"

Absol began to make his way back over to where Flygon was. As he began to pass by Buneary, she couldn't help but leap in front of him. He stopped, looking down at her in surprise.

"(Um...!)" she said eagerly. "(That was a really cool stunt! It looked _really_ amazing! And I said 'really' twice, but it _was_ really amazing!)"

"(Uh? Well, thank you...)" He glanced away. "(Though I could've done better...)"

Her eyes widened. "(Better?! But that was great enough as it was!)"

"(... You're exaggerating.)"

"(No way! The way you jumped up those trees, then picked up that ball, then rode the surf all the way down? It looked really cool!)"

"(Well... thanks.)"

"(Urgh,)" Flygon said, suddenly by Buneary's side. "(You're still trying to impress Drew, aren't you?)"

A very tiny blush appeared on Absol's face. "(Well...)"

Flygon heaved a sigh. "(Look, it was ages ago when he yelled at you... and he's apologised since... so why is this _still_ bothering you?)"

Buneary blinked. "(Huh?)" she asked.

"(Because...)" Absol replied, "(I don't want it to happen again. I want Drew to be proud of me.)"

"(I'm sure he _is_!)" Buneary said enthusiastically. "(I know _I_ am!)"

Absol looked at her in surprise. "(Oh. Well... thank you.)"

"(Got yourself a fan, I see~)" Masquerain said, flying over their heads.

"(Uh, apparently.)"

Giggling, Masquerain flew away again. Flygon and Absol decided to follow after him.

Now alone, Buneary was beaming to herself.

"(... A bit big for you, isn't he?)" Piplup's voice suddenly asked from nearby.

Buneary jumped in shock. Looking over at him, she could see a rather smug smirk on his beak.

"(H-Huh?)" she asked.

"(Yeah, he's, like, three times your size.)" He paused. "(Though, if you evolved, you'd be about the same height.)"

"(I... I have no idea what you mean.)"

"(Absol. Duh. You were drooling everywhere when he did that stunt.)"

Panic shot through her. "(I was?!)" She quickly rubbed at her mouth with her paws. It was dry.

Piplup sighed. "(I didn't mean literally...)"

Buneary blinked. "(... Oh.)"

Piplup paused. "(Good to see you moving on, though! I'm sure Pachirisu would be proud. I'd tell him, but he's a bit busy playing with Skitty at the moment.)"

... Moving on? Huh. Was that what she was doing?

She glanced over in Absol's direction. The large white cat was being petted by Drew, while Flygon was giving him a look of 'I told you so'.

"(Yeah...)"

"(Anyway, I'm off to chat to Roserade. She promised me some cool stories yesterday, so she'd better deliver!)"

"(Y-Yeah. Have fun!)"

"(Oh, I will! I've got a few cool stories to tell her, myself!)" He began walking away. "(See you later!)"

"(Yeah, see ya.)"

... Huh. Moving on. How nostalgic. She'd been focused on a single target for so long that she'd almost forgotten what it felt like!

It reminded her of the good old days...

* * *

 _Molly the buneary watched in amazement. She'd only come out here to find berries, but oh gosh! She didn't think she'd be getting a show, too!_

 _She watched in awe as a teddiursa, an apple in his paw, jumped around, avoiding the grasp of an ursaring._

 _"(Give me that back!)" the ursaring called out angrily._

 _"(No way, ma!)" the teddiursa replied. "(You snooze, you lose!)"_

 _"(Why, you little-!)"_

 _She swung an arm at him. Molly expected it to hit, but, instead, he jumped on top of it and ran up, towards the ursaring's face. He seemed to have caught her by surprise._

 _Jumping again, he bounced off her head like a springboard._

 _Growling, she turned to swing at him again. He landed on her shoulder and ran down her back._

 _This kept up for a while, with the ursaring completely unable to hit the teddiursa. He jumped around her, avoiding every single swing._

 _Eventually, the ursaring collapsed to the ground, exhausted. The teddiursa did one final leap off her shoulder, landing perfectly on the ground. He casually bit into his apple, walking away._

 _... Wow. Wow! That had looked so cool!_ _ **He'd**_ _looked so cool! Performing stunts that she'd never be able to do in a million years!_

 _... What was this strange feeling in her chest? This explosion of excitement? This thudding against her ribcage?_

 _He began walking in her direction, still eating the apple._

 _Heart pounding faster, she jumped in front of him. "(U-Um...!)" she said._

 _He looked up at her. "(Huh?)"_

 _"(You were really cool! Before! You know, with the fight! And stuff!)"_

 _Jeez, what was she even doing? She'd never felt so nervous before! Her heart was beating so fast, she could swear it was trying to escape her chest!_

 _"(Oh.)" He took another bite of the apple and shrugged. "(Yeah, I guesh sho.)" He continued walking. "(Well, shee ya around.)"_

 _"(Y-Yeah, bye!)"_

 _Wow... this feeling was so unfamiliar! But she'd be lying through her teeth if she said she didn't like it!_

* * *

 _Molly just couldn't stop thinking about the teddiursa. How he'd made her heart leap in her chest! Gosh, her face was warming just_ _ **thinking**_ _about him!_

 _"(You look happy, Molly~)" her lopunny mother, Hannah, said._

 _She smiled at her. "(Hee~)" she replied. "(I am.)"_

 _Her floatzel father, Nathan, who was lounging nearby, gave a light smirk. "(What's up?)" he asked._

 _"(Oh, nothing~)"_

 _"(Heh. Nothing, she says.)"_

 _They paused, waiting for their daughter to speak._

 _"(Okay, okay, it's not~!)" Molly said. She giggled._

 _"(Ooh, what is it?)" Hannah asked. "(Spill!)"_

 _She giggled again. "(Well~!)"_

 _She told them all about the teddiursa's amazing stunts, and how watching them had made her heart leap in her chest. In excitement! In awe! In other things she couldn't describe!_

 _When she was finished, her mother giggled._

 _"(Seems like someone has a cruuuush~)"_

 _Molly blinked. "(Huh? A crush?)"_

 _Nathan stretched. "(Sure sounds like it to me,)" he said._

 _... A crush._

 _A crush!_

 _So that's what a crush felt like! Wow, it felt amazing!_

 _She beamed to herself. "(Guess it must be~)"_

 _"(Aww, my little girl's growing up~)" Hannah said happily._

 _"(Wait a while before giving us grandkids, though, won't ya?)" Nathan asked._

 _"(Tsk. Nathaaaan...)"_

 _Molly's face burned. Oh gosh. Kids with that teddiursa? She... she barely even knew him, though!_

 _... In that case, maybe she_ _ **should**_ _get to know him!_

 _Yeah! The first chance she got, she'd be sure to do just that!_

* * *

... Heh. It had been a long time since anyone had called her 'Molly', that was for sure. Ever since joining Dawn's team, her name had been 'Buneary'. Her true name felt a bit foreign to her now, honestly.

Heck, she'd even heard that Ash actually knew a human called Molly. It would have been a bit weird meeting her and hearing her name, she wouldn't lie.

Glancing in the direction of Piplup, who was intently listening to some stories of Roserade's, Buneary decided to lose herself in the memory some more...

* * *

 _Molly gasped. Oh, gosh, there he was! The bear of her dreams! The coolest kid on the block! The combee's knees!_

 _... Well, combee didn't_ _ **have**_ _knees, but still!_

 _She jumped in front of him, smiling up a storm. He looked at her curiously, stopping in place._

 _"(Hi, again~!)" she said happily._

 _"(Uh, hi...)" he replied. He paused a moment, studying her. "(Oh, wait, I remember you.)"_

 _She gasped in delight. "(You do?!)"_

 _"(Yeah.)"_

 _He continued to look at her, making her feel increasingly bashful._

 _She fidgeted with the fluff around her waist, tilting this way and that. She averted her gaze from his._

 _"(So, um... you were really cool that day and... and you're_ _ **still**_ _cool! Really cool! Cooler than an ice-type! So, um...)" Her face burned. She pulled the fluff up over it and danced around. "(Oh, I can't take it!)"_

 _"(... Uh... you're not flirting with me, are you?)"_

 _"(Eep!)"_

 _Oh, gosh, he'd figured her out already?! But she'd been so subtle!_

 _"(... You're totally flirting with me.)"_

 _"(... Maybe,)" she squeaked._

 _The teddiursa sighed. "(... Look, thanks and all... but you're... not really my type.)"_

 _She froze in place, the fluff slowing dropping back down. "(... I'm not?)"_

 _"(Nope. You're a bit too... crazy?)" He shrugged. "(Thanks, though. Appreciate it.)"_

 _Her heart dropped into her stomach. Ouch. Crazy? What was that supposed to mean?_

 _... Wow, was this what rejection felt like? She'd heard tales about it, but she didn't think it could happen so suddenly. Or so painfully._

 _... She couldn't say she liked it. At all._

 _"(Oh... okay...)"_

 _He walked past her, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She didn't follow him._

* * *

 _"(Molly?)" Hannah asked in concern. "(Why aren't you eating your berries?)"_

 _"(Yeah, they're your favourite,)" Nathan added._

 _"(I'm not hungry...)" Molly replied._

 _"(Oh dear...)" Hannah said. "(What's wrong?)"_

 _Molly didn't answer immediately. She just continued to stare down at her oran berries._

 _Hannah continued. "(... Did you see that boy again?)"_

 _Molly sighed. "(Yeah...)"_

 _"(Oh my... did it go badly?)"_

 _"(Yeah...)"_

 _"(Aww...)" Hannah paused. Then Molly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the lopunny's comforting smile. "(Hey. There's plenty more corphish in the sea, right?)"_

 _Molly couldn't help a small smile from forming. "(He was a teddiursa, though.)"_

 _Hannah giggled. "(Oh, you~! You know what I mean!)"_

 _"(She's right, though, Molly,)" Nathan said. She turned to see the floatzel giving her a light smirk. "(You can always find someone else.)"_

 _Molly's smile became brighter. "(Yeah,)" she replied. "(Yeah! You're right. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.)"_

 _"(No problem, sweetie~)" Hannah replied._

 _"(Yeah,)" Nathan replied, "(no probs.)"_

* * *

Buneary sighed to herself, feeling a mixture of nostalgia, amusement and melancholy. That day with the teddiursa had only been the start of her problems...


	17. Hindered Heart

Author's note: Hiya!

Jeez... I was trying to keep this chapter a reasonable length (for one of _my_ fics, anyway), but I had to restrain myself a lot, because I don't want this arc continuing on for longer than it needs to. XD I think I've said all that needs to be said here.

Hope you enjoy the chapter and please review! Lurkers make for sad ficcers. Whereas reviewers make for happy ficcers!

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen** **: Hindered Heart**

 _Molly watched in awe as the growlithe juggled three rawst berries in the air, using just his nose. They swirled in a perfect circle, each one bouncing off his nose at the precise moment to keep the flow going._

 _Standing on his hind legs and balancing, he kept it up, never once missing a beat._

 _Woooow! She'd thought only her first crush, the teddiursa, had been able to do cool stunts! But this growlithe could do them, too!_

 _Such precision! Such accuracy! How long had he been practicing this?! It was certainly not something_ _ **she**_ _could ever hope to do! Not in a million years!_

 _Her heart was pounding in her chest!_

 _... Wait. Was this the same feeling as before?! The one she'd had for the teddiursa?!_

 _Did that mean she... had a new crush?!_

 _Oh, wow, how exciting! Her face broke out into a beaming smile._

 _It was then that the growlithe noticed her. Jumping in shock, he dropped the rawst berries to the floor._

 _"(Um... hi?)" he said cautiously._

 _... This was her chance! She absolutely was_ _ **not**_ _going to screw this up a second time!_

 _She emerged from the tall grass she was partially hidden in. "(Hi!)" she replied happily. "(I saw your juggling act! It was really cool!_ _ **Super**_ _cool! Like... cooler than an ice cube cool!)"_

 _"(Um, thanks.)"_

 _She slowly approached. He still looked cautious, but he didn't move._

 _Okay. She had to play this cool. Even_ _ **cooler**_ _than an ice cube! After all, she'd never even gotten to introduce herself to the teddiursa, so maybe that was a good start here!_

 _"(I'm Molly!)" She grabbed at her fluff, readying it in case she got too excited again. "(What's your name?)"_

 _"(Uh, Jake.)"_

 _She giggled. "(Hi, Jake!)"_

 _"(Yeah, hi.)"_

 _"(So, yeah, your juggling act! Best one I've seen! The way you bounced them up and down like that and never had them touch the floor? Class A performance~!)"_

 _"(Um, thanks.)"_

 _"(No problem~! You deserve all the praise!)"_

 _Uh oh. The excitement was building inside her again._

 _... Nope. She couldn't contain it. She pulled her fluff over her face and squealed._

 _"(It was so cooool!)"_

 _"(Um...)" There was a pause. "(Look, uh... Molly, was it? I'm flattered, but... this is a bit much, isn't it? I was only doing a bit of juggling.)"_

 _"(A bit of juggling, he says!)" She danced on the spot. "(Only the coolest juggling ever!)"_

 _"(Um... thanks?)"_

 _"(No problem~!)"_

 _"(Well, uh... I'll just be... going now, if that's alright...)"_

 _She gasped, lowering her fluff. "(Wait! Can we hang out again?!)"_

 _"(I... guess? Though you're a bit, um...)"_

 _"(Hmm?)"_

 _"(... Overwhelming?)" He backed away slightly. "(We'll see, though...)"_

* * *

Buneary had actually managed to hang out with the growlithe for a couple of days, until he'd told her, yet again, that she'd been too overwhelming to be around. Probably because of all the praise.

That had left her in another slump for a while.

Then, sometime after she'd gotten over it...

* * *

 _The sableye leapt from tree branch to tree branch, landing on each one perfectly as he ran. He cackled as his assailant, an annoyed luxio who looked far more agile than he did, bumbled and stumbled as he tried to chase him._

 _Many a time, the luxio would mistime his jump completely, slipping and tripping on the branches, all the while getting laughed at by the sableye._

 _Wow. The sableye was so cool..._

 _Molly watched in intrigue as the sableye turned around. Then in confusion as he covered his eyes. Then in shock and horror as he jumped,_ _ **backwards**_ _, off the branch. Oh no! What was he doing, the fool?! He was going to fall and hurt himself!_

 _To her surprise, the sableye landed perfectly on the next branch, still with his eyes covered. Uncovering them, he laughed again._

 _Molly's eyes and mouth opened wide. Wow. Wow! That... that was so cool! That_ _ **guy**_ _was so cool! How had he managed to perfectly land on that branch, blinded and backwards?! He was... amazing. There was no other word for it._

 _The luxio, sprawled across one of the other branches, scowled at him. "(Oh, come on!)" he snapped. "(Now you're just rubbing it in my face!)"_

 _The sableye kept laughing. "(S'not_ _ **my**_ _fault you suck at jumping!)" he replied._

 _The luxio slumped across the branch. "(You jerk...)"_

 _Still laughing, the sableye jumped down from the branch. Molly squeaked as he landed right next to her._

 _He looked mildly surprised when he saw her. "(Oh! Hey there! Sorry for scarin' ya.)" He grinned at her._

 _She pulled her fluff up to her face. "(... No problem,)" she replied._

 _"(Careful, yeah? You never know what's gonna fall down from these trees!)"_

 _"(Y-Yeah...)" She fidgeted for a minute._

 _"(Hmm? Somethin' wrong?)"_

 _"(N-No, no! Everything's good! It's great! Especially your jumping!)"_

 _"(My jumping?)"_

 _"(Yeah! When you hopped from tree to tree without breaking a sweat? Then covered your eyes and jumped_ _ **backwards**_ _and... and still managed to land it? It was great! Awesome! Great_ _ **and**_ _awesome!)"_

 _He laughed. "(Oh, you saw all that?)" He looked up at the tree where his friend was climbing down. "(You hear that, Kyle? I got me a fan!)"_

 _"(Great, more of a reason for you to show off...)" Kyle grumbled._

 _Turning back to Molly, the sableye grinned again. "(I'm Simon, by the way! What's your name?)"_

 _Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! He was making the first move! Her heart was beating out of her chest right now!_

 _"(Molly! My... My name is Molly.)"_

 _"(Molly, huh? Nice name!)"_

 _Oh my gosh, she was making such progress! Maybe it was the real deal this time!_

 _She was so excited, she could burst!_

* * *

For a few days, Buneary had met up with Simon. She'd continually praised him on his acrobatic prowess, until, one day...

* * *

 _"(The sky's so blue today!)" Molly said excitedly. "(Like the ocean! Except it's in the sky!)" She smiled over at Simon. "(Hey, what do you think it'd be like to have an ocean in the sky?)"_

 _Simon cracked up laughing, then threw her a disbelieving smile. "(What?)"_

 _She blinked. "(What?)"_

 _"(Jeez Louise, you're... so weird!)"_

 _She faltered. "(... Weird?)"_

 _"(Yeah! You're all fangirly one minute and asking stupid questions the next! An ocean in the sky... What the heck, man?)" He cracked up laughing again._

 _"(... Well...)"_

 _"(Also, do you like me, or somethin'? You've been hangin' around me an awful lot.)"_

 _She squeaked. "(Um... well...)"_

 _He laughed. "(Aw, man, you do, don't ya?)" He kept on laughing. Once he calmed down, he continued. "(Look, girl, you're nice and all... but you're waaaay too 'out there' for my tastes. Might wanna get someone more on your wavelength. Alright?)"_

 _... Was... this another rejection?_

 _She felt her heart crack in two._

* * *

 _Later that day, in a slump, she used Pound on a tree to knock down some of its delicious berries. Not that she felt like eating, really._

 _As she swung back her arm, she felt a distinct lack of power in it. When it hit the bark, she recoiled in pain._

 _Owwww... What? Why hadn't Pound worked?_

 _She tried again, only to fail again. What the heck?_

 _Confused, she tried her other moves._

 _Defense Curl didn't work._

 _Foresight didn't work._

 _Splash didn't work either. Not that it would have mattered, but still._

 _What the heck?! Why were none of them working?!_

 _She went home, berryless and miserable._

* * *

 _"(No moves?)" Hannah asked in shock._

 _"(What could have caused_ _ **that**_ _?)" Nathan asked, confused._

 _"(I dunno...)" Molly replied sadly._

 _"(Well...)" Hannah said, putting on a smile, "(I'm sure they'll come back to you soon!)"_

 _"(Yeah, maybe...)"_

 _"(... Did anything strange happen today?)" Nathan asked._

 _"(... No...)"_

 _Nathan and Hannah waited a few moments._

 _Molly continued. "(Well... I got rejected again.)"_

 _Hannah gasped. "(Again?! But this is, like, the third time, isn't it?)"_

 _"(Yeah...)"_

 _"(Who keeps rejecting our baby girl?)"_

 _"(Pfft,)" Nathan said, "(she deserves better, if that's the case.)"_

 _"(You're darn right she does, Nathan! Our baby deserves to be happy!)"_

 _Molly smiled slightly at the comment. "(Thanks, Mom,)" she replied. "(Thanks, Dad.)"_

* * *

Buneary sighed to herself. Three crushes in and her moves had gone poof. Sure, they'd come back a couple of days later, but that had only been a taste of things to come...

* * *

 _The volbeat swirled in mid-air, twirling around the three orbs of Hidden Power like they weren't even there. He did it with such grace and dexterity that it was like watching a mid-air ballet!_

 _Molly stood breathless as she watched him fly in close, then strike down his opponent, a territorial beedrill, with a single blow. Twirling down to the ground, the volbeat posed._

 _Wow! Yep, there was her heartbeat going crazy again! Going crazy for an awesome guy who could do awesome things!_

 _... Huh. It was starting to occur to her that maybe she had a type. Cool boys. Awesome boys! Cool, awesome boys who could do cool, awesome stunts!_

 _She could almost feel herself drooling already!_

 _... Yep, that had to be her type._

 _Well, this time, she'd nail it for sure! As her mother had once said: There are plenty more corphish in the sea! As well as_ _ **other**_ _pokémon, of course, but now she was digressing!_

 _It was time to approach that volbeat!_

 _"(H-Hi there!)" she said._

 _The volbeat shrieked and jumped away. "(Uhhhh... hi?)" he replied._

 _"(I really loved your stunts! You looked so cool, up there in the sky! Like a... like a... a ballerina rocket ship! If that makes sense! Graceful and powerful, all at once!)"_

 _She approached him again, but he backed away in fear._

 _"(Oh, uh... th-thank you...)"_

 _"(I'm Molly! And you?)"_

 _"(M... Matthew...)"_

 _"(Hi, Matthew! Do you wanna hang out and talk and...)" She fiddled with her fluff bashfully. "(And you can tell me all about your amazing stunts?)"_

 _"(Uhhhh... I dunno, I, uh...)" He looked around. "(I've gotta, um... be somewhere, so I'll... see you around?)" He backed away._

 _"(Okay! See you tomorrow?)"_

 _"(Uh, yeah, sure, whatever, bye!)" He quickly flew away._

 _Wow, progress!_

 _Hmm... though he_ _ **had**_ _seemed awfully skittish around her. Maybe she'd need to put in some extra effort, so as not to scare him away._

 _Maybe it would serve her well to try a different tactic? One that preferably wouldn't get her called crazy or weird. Like what, though?_

 _Hmm..._

* * *

 _She'd done it! Finally, after much practice, she'd perfected her surprise!_

 _She'd met up with Matthew a few times since the day she'd caught him battling off a beedrill, and he'd seemed as skittish around her as ever._

 _But, now, she had a secret weapon!_

 _Due to living a luxuriously lazy life - thanks to her laid-back parents - she wasn't good at many things. But this! She'd been practicing this one all week!_

 _She'd fallen over almost every time, gotten herself many bruises and had to eat many oran berries - not that she was complaining about that last one - but she'd finally done it!_

 _"(Mattheeeew~!)" she called out as she approached him._

 _He jumped in fright as he saw her. "(... O-Oh, hi...)" he replied._

 _"(Check it out!)" She lifted one foot and twirled on the spot. Switching feet, she twirled the other way. "(Look! I can do a graceful thing, too, now!)"_

 _"(Um... great?)"_

 _Beaming, she put her paws to her face. "(I know it's not as good as what_ _ **you**_ _can do, but it's a start!)"_

 _"(... Did... did you learn that to impress me?)"_

 _Her face flushed. "(Oh, well...)" She grabbed at her fluff and fidgeted with it. "(M-Maybe? A little?)"_

 _He jumped backwards in fright. "(Oh, legends, no! You're a stalker now, too?! G-Get away from me!)"_

 _She blinked. "(Huh? B-But-)" She took a step forward._

 _"(Not another step! You... you stay away from me! Crazy woman!)"_

 _... Crazy woman?_

 _He flew away. "(Don't follow me!)"_

 _Tears stung at her eyes as she watched him leave._

* * *

Buneary sighed. She really should have called it quits there. She should have thrown in the towel, exited the ring and never looked back.

But she'd been weak.

And her weakness? Well...

* * *

 _Well, the flattery tactic may not have worked with Matthew, but it was sure to work with this cacnea!_

 _He looked like the type who valued strength, instead of grace, though, so she'd have to change things up a little._

 _First, though, she'd get his name!_

* * *

 _"(Peter! Peter!)" Molly called out, approaching. "(Check it out! I learned how to punch with my ears!)"_

 _Coiling up one of her ears, she let it spring back out again. She beamed. She was so pleased with herself! Now Pound could be even_ _ **more**_ _effective when she needed it in battle! Because, as it turned out, her ears were stronger than her paws!_

 _Who would have figured?!_

 _Peter gave her a look of disdain. "(Urgh, really?)" he asked. "(You're trying to impress me now? What do you want, a date?)"_

 _Ack! Dang it, she was being so subtle! Why was everybody picking up on it?! She covered her face with her fluff in embarrassment._

 _"(Well, no, thanks. You're weird and annoying, so just leave me alone.)"_

 _... Weird...? Annoying...?_

* * *

 _Molly hung around near the campsite of the riolu who was doing stunts. Clearly, he was a trained pokémon. Still though... those were some really impressive stunts he was pulling!_

 _She was afraid to approach, so she stayed hidden in the bushes._

 _The riolu threw a bone into the air, then jumped up after it. Grabbing it in one paw, he did a forwards somersault. While he was somersaulting, though, he started glowing._

 _Every appendage grew taller, more muscular. By the time he landed on the ground, he was a lucario. She was astounded. Evolving as part of your stunt? So cool..._

 _"Way to go, Rio- I mean Lucario!" his trainer said excitedly._

* * *

That day, she'd tried to use all the knowledge she'd gathered from trying to impress both the volbeat and the cacnea, in order to impress the lucario.

And the end result?

* * *

 _"(... Pitiful,)" the lucario said._

 _Molly blinked. "(H-Huh?)" she asked._

 _"(You think that will impress me?)" He turned away. "(Leave me be.)"_

 _"(B-But-!)"_

 _"(You have no passion. No love for battle. You seek only to impress.)" He turned to glare at her sideways. "(Leave.)"_

 _She faltered under the gaze. "(I...)"_

 _He turned away. "(You are an annoyance. Leave.)"_

 _... Annoyance..._

* * *

Buneary had lost her moves again that day. All four of them. It had taken several days to get them back.

From there, she'd come up with a new tactic. In order to be more passionate, she'd have to actually train and learn better moves.

'But which moves to learn, though?' she'd asked herself...

* * *

 _"(Eriol! Eriol!)" Molly called out happily. "(I learned Dizzy Punch, too! Now we can use it together!)"_

 _The spinda tilted his head at her. "(That's strange,)" he replied. "(I don't recall asking you to learn that.)"_

 _"(W-Well, no, I learned it because...)"_

 _"(Were you doing that to impress me?)"_

 _She fidgeted with her fluff. "(K-Kind of...)"_

 _"(Tsk. Now that's a tad desperate, don't you think?)"_

 _"(D... Desperate?)"_

 _"(Mmm. Flattering, but desperate.)"_

* * *

 _"(Owen! Hey, Owen!)" Molly called out happily. "(I learned Bounce! Are you impressed?)"_

 _The grumpig raised an eyebrow at her. "(What the heck? You only learned that 'cause_ _ **I**_ _know it, didn't you?)"_

 _"(W-Well...)"_

 _"(Pfft. Weirdo.)"_

* * *

 _"(Hey! Craig!)" Molly called out happily. "(Look, look! I learned Ice Beam!)" She showed it off. "(It's just like yours!)"_

 _The sneasel huffed. "(Oh, you're copying my moves now?)" he replied. "(Jeez... Look, stop being a freaky, weird, annoying stalker who's clearly desperate for a boyfriend, and do something meaningful with your life! I've got better things to do than deal with you!)"_

 _... Freaky... Weird... Annoying... Stalker... Desperate..._

 _Once Craig left the area, she burst into tears._

* * *

Buneary heaved a sigh. After that, she'd lost her moves a _third_ time... and, this time, it had taken over a week for them to come back. She hadn't been a very happy bunny...

In fact, she'd been so sad that she'd stayed away from boys for a while, just to avoid the heartbreak...

A fat load of good that had done her, though...

But at least she'd had her parents to comfort her. Without them, she didn't know where she would have been.

She sighed again.

Deciding to take her mind off her woes, she wandered over to where Roserade and Piplup were discussing contesting stories.

Heck, she could even pipe in with a few of her own. Anything to distract herself right now...


	18. Casual Connections

Author's note: Heyo!

In today's chapter, we insert some headcanons!

... Well, I guess the whole fic is a headcanon, really, but hey. XD Here, we have some pieces of lore that I thought I'd slot in, because it's the perfect fic of mine to use them in.

Hope you like the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen** **: Casual Connections**

Pikachu smiled pleasantly as he patted the wet sand into place. It'd been a pretty good day today! Currently, he, Axew and Scraggy were building a sandcastle on the beach. Nearby, Cilan was relaxing and Ash was busy training. Iris, however, was elsewhere.

"(Wow, our castle's coming along great!)" Axew said happily.

"(Yeah, it is!)" Pikachu replied.

This was nice. He hadn't worn many natural smiles lately, but playing with these kids was helping with that.

"(I'm gonna build a moat!)" Scraggy said, scooping away sand from around the sandcastle.

"(Great idea!)" Axew replied. "(I'm gonna build some sticky-uppy thingies!)"

Pikachu huffed in amusement. "('Sticky-uppy thingies?')" he asked.

"(Yeah! Those things they have on the top of castles!)"

"(Oh, yeah, the pointy thingies!)" Scraggy replied.

Pikachu gave another huff of amusement. "(Well, they're not really pointy...)" he said, "(and I think they're called battlements.)"

"(Yeah, yeah, those!)" Axew replied.

"(When we're done with the sandcastle,)" Scraggy said, still digging the moat, "(I'm gonna knock it down!)"

Pikachu gave him an exasperated smile. "(Now, Scraggy, don't do that...)" he chided.

"(Yeah, knock it down!)" Axew agreed.

Pikachu sighed in exasperation, though he was still smiling.

"(What'd you hit me for?!)" Excadrill suddenly yelled in anger.

"( _Me_?!)" Crustle yelled back. "( _You're_ the one who hit _me_!)"

Pikachu spun his head around to see the crab and mole pushing their foreheads together aggressively.

Excadrill growled. "(You wanna go, pal?!)"

"(Heck yeah, I do!)"

"(Well, bring it on, then!)"

Stopping what he was doing, Pikachu stood up, dropped to all four paws and ran over. "(Hey, hey, hey!)" he called out. "(Guys!)" Skidding to a stop, he stood up again and tried to gently push them apart. "(Cut it out, okay?)"

They both whirled on him. "(He started it!)" they growled at the same time.

Standing his ground, Pikachu tried to put on the calmest face he could. "(Look, it doesn't matter who started it. Just please stop fighting, okay?)"

Ignoring him, they went back to glaring at each other.

Pikachu heaved a sigh. He hated when pokémon didn't listen to him. He had to try and be nice, though. Sometimes, he'd lose his temper and Thunderbolt the ones fighting, but he was going to try and avoid that today, if he could.

Besides, Thunderbolt wouldn't work terribly well on Excadrill...

"(Guys, hey,)" he continued, "(we can settle this peacefully, right?)"

Their growls softened, but didn't cease.

"(Just both say you're sorry and make up, okay?)"

They quietened, but continued to glare at each other.

Pikachu was growing exasperated now. "(Come on, guys... please?)"

There was a long pause, the crab and mole still glaring at one another.

After a long moment, they both huffed and turned away.

"(Fine...)" Crustle mumbled, "(I'm sorry...)"

"(Yeah...)" Excadrill mumbled back, "(me too...)"

Pikachu smiled. Great! It had been solved peacefully this time!

"(See now, was that so hard?)" he asked.

They both huffed again, walking off elsewhere, in different directions.

... Well, they hadn't _quite_ made up yet, it seemed, but at least they weren't about to tear each other's throats out anymore.

Letting out another sigh, Pikachu wandered back over to where Axew and Scraggy were still working on their sandcastle.

"(Sorry about that, guys,)" he said, sitting down. He scooped up some wet sand and patted it against the sandcastle. "(Was breaking up a fight.)"

"(You do that a lot, huh?)" Axew asked with a smile.

"(Yeah. Well, someone's gotta.)"

"(Better you than me!)"

"(Yeah,)" Scraggy said, eyeing Pikachu up, "(but didn't he bite Oshawott's head off a couple days ago?)"

Pikachu winced. "(Well...)" he said.

"(Ha, yeah!)" Axew replied. "(He was a grouchy pants that day! But he's been real nice today!)"

... He wasn't that much of a grouch...

Suddenly, Iris came down the steps, holding a magazine. Walking over and sitting herself next to Cilan, she opened it and peered inside. Pikachu watched as her face lit up more with each turn of the page.

Cilan peered over. "Hmm?" he asked. "What's that you're reading, Iris?"

"A copy of Poké Chic that Cynthia let me borrow!" Iris replied. "Ohh, the pokémon in here are all so cute~! I wanna hug them and pinch all their cheeks!"

Heh. Poké Chic, huh? Buneary had modelled for that magazine once.

Cilan chuckled. "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" She held it out for him to see. "Take a look!"

He leaned over as she turned the page. He smiled. "Ah! I can see why you'd find it so sweet and tasty!"

She giggled. "Yeah!"

He leaned in closer and her face went slightly red, but she casually turned the page.

Pikachu looked away again, focusing on the sandcastle. It was looking pretty good so far! Once it had its moat and battlements, it was sure to look even better!

Maybe he could gather some seashells and decorate it a bit. Maybe put some tiny flags on it, too? Though, if Scraggy planned to destroy it, then he supposed there wasn't much point...

There was a sudden screech of terror from Cilan that made all three pokémon jump in the air in fright. Axew fell to the ground, covering his head in fear, and Scraggy pulled his loose skin up defensively.

Pikachu glanced over at Cilan, who was rapidly backing away from Iris.

"Oh..." Iris said, glancing back and forth between him and the magazine. Her expression turned sympathetic. "You're still not over the purrloin thing, huh?"

... Ah. There must have been a purrloin model on one of the pages...

"Uhhh..." Cilan replied, smiling awkwardly, "I think that's a bad taste that's never going away, I'm afraid..."

She glanced back at the magazine. "Even if it's just a picture?"

"It's a photograph of an _actual_ purrloin, so... yes. I'd say that counts."

Iris sighed, closed the magazine and put it to one side. "Look, I'm really sorry that stuff happened to you... but you can't blame _all_ purrloin for that..."

Cilan glanced away. "Well, yes, I know, but..." He sighed, rubbing the side of his neck. "It isn't like I _want_ to view them that way..."

"Then why _do_ you?"

"Well, it's like the fear _you_ used to have of ice-types. You said once that ice-types invaded Dragon Village and knocked out all the dragon-types, right?"

Iris hugged herself and shuddered. "Yeah, easily... Plus they made it really cold all day... and I hate the cold..."

"Exactly! Three purrloin tormented me when I was a five-year-old, lost in the woods, and I've never been able to forget it!" He copied her and hugged himself. "A dish so bad that you can never scrub the taste away..."

She gave him another sympathetic look. "Yeah, but you said it yourself, remember? They'd lost a fight to a group of herdier, or something, and were taking it out on _you_?"

"That's what I'd been told from the people nearby. That I was just a stress relief. Still..." He shuddered. "Those malicious grins on their faces... One had me by the legs... one by the feet... and the other..."

"Yeah, you said it... trailed its claw across you, right?"

He shuddered again. "First across the stomach... then across the neck... laughing the whole time..." He paused a moment, looking almost in pain. "The people said those three purrloin _often_ did that... catching people and tormenting them... but they never caused any _actual_ harm..." He paused again. "But still..."

"Yeah, the trauma's lasting, right?"

Cilan slumped in defeat. "Yeah..."

Iris gave him a comforting smile. "Hey, maybe you'll get over it one day... Just take it one step at a time, okay?" She smiled brighter. "After all, I got over my fear of ice-types, so I'm sure you can do the same!"

He gazed at her in awe. After a few moments, he smiled back determinedly. "Well, I can certainly give it a try!" He winked and posed. "After all, every dish takes time to perfect, am I right?"

She giggled, nodding. "Right!"

"Hey, why aren't you two watching my training?" Ash called over in slight annoyance.

Iris frowned in his direction. "Excuse me! We're having a conversation! Don't interrupt like a needy little kid!"

"Hey, what do ya mean by that?"

Huffing, Iris turned back to Cilan and shrugged. "He is such a little kid..."

Cilan laughed awkwardly. "Your favourite flavour of insult for Ash, it seems..." he replied.

"It's not _my_ fault it's true."

Pikachu turned away from the conversation. He could see now that Axew and Scraggy had long since gotten over their fright and were busy building the moat and battlements again.

... Oh. Pikachu had been so interested in what Cilan and Iris had been saying that he'd forgotten to help.

Scooping up some wet sand, he patted it into place.

"(Man,)" Scraggy said, "(I don't get this 'trauma' thing at all.)"

"(Well, ice-types are pretty scary!)" Axew replied. "(I wasn't born when they attacked, but I heard lotsa stories!)" He inspected a battlement he'd just made, nodded, then moved onto the next one. "(It's so cool how Dragonite just _tanks_ ice moves!)"

Scraggy shrugged. "(Yeah, I guess so. Especially since he's flying-type, too, right?)"

Axew gasped. "(Oh yeah!)" He beamed. "(Wow, now it's even _more_ impressive!)"

Hmm... Pikachu couldn't say he understood what trauma was like either, really. Life-changing things had certainly happened in the past, but nothing frightening.

What had happened to him were more like... cautionary tales. Yeah, that summed them up pretty well.

"(Nice moat, by the way!)" Axew continued.

Scraggy beamed at him. "(Thanks! And you guys are doing good on the castle!)"

"(Thanks!)"

Pikachu smiled back. "(Yeah, thanks!)" he replied.

"(Just a bit more, then we can knock it down!)" Scraggy with way too much enthusiasm.

Pikachu's smile turned exasperated. "(Scraggy...)"

"(Yeah, knock it down!)" Axew agreed.

Pikachu sighed, choosing not to argue.

Glancing elsewhere for a brief change in scenery, his eyes landed on Oshawott, who was chatting animatedly to Snivy and Emolga.

... Hmm. Oshawott had flirted with a purrloin before, hadn't he? A male one, at that. One that Cilan had also jumped away from in fright.

... Pikachu had never told Oshawott this, but he'd known the whole time that the purrloin had been male. Sure, the guy had been acting very feminine, but one whiff of his scent would tell anyone that he was male.

His own sense of smell was rather good, so he'd known almost immediately. Oshawott and Meowth, though, hadn't.

Meowth could maybe be excused, since he'd always had a terrible sense of smell. It was on par with a human's, which meant that telling pokémon genders apart was harder for him.

Oshawott, however, simply hadn't been paying attention that day.

The otter had been so enamoured with the purrloin's sparkly puppy dog eyes that he hadn't seen through the ruse at all. Even though it should have been obvious.

Pikachu hadn't told him, curious as to how things would play out.

... He'd also been a little bit hopeful. Hopeful that, once Oshawott had found out the truth, he'd still like the purrloin. He'd still want to give him a chance.

At the end of the day, the purrloin - being presented with two bouquets of roses, one from Oshawott and one from Meowth - had even looked vaguely interested by the idea.

... But no. Of course, the second he'd revealed he was a boy, they'd both abandoned ship immediately. He'd never seen anything so shallow.

Well... maybe he had, but still.

Perhaps it had been wrong of him to hide what he'd known at the time, but it would have all amounted to nothing, either way, so no big loss, really.

Oshawott had gotten over it pretty quickly, so it hadn't mattered.

Pikachu's expression soured.

Suddenly realising that he was glaring again, he quickly shook his head and turned away. No. Today was a good day. He wasn't about to ruin it.

He continued building the sandcastle.

* * *

"(Voolah!)" Axew said happily. "(It is complete!)"

Pikachu chuckled at him. "(You mean 'voila'?)" he asked.

"(That too. Anyway, Scraggy, wanna do the honours?)"

"(Do I ever!)" Scraggy replied.

"(... Shouldn't we take a picture of it first?)" Pikachu asked.

Axew blinked at him. "(Does anyone have a camera?)"

Pikachu blinked back.

Huh. Actually, come of think of it, none of them did, did they? Dang. If only Trip was around. That kid was always carrying a camera, to 'document his journey'.

"(Uh, I guess not.)"

"(Then let's bust it down!)" Scraggy said.

Axew beamed. "(Yeah, let's!)" he replied. He moved backwards, out of the way.

Sighing lightly, Pikachu did the same.

Scraggy frowned determinedly. "(Alright, here we go!)"

He reared back his head. Swinging it forward, he smashed into the sandcastle with Headbutt. It immediately collapsed, caving in on itself.

"(Yeaaaah!)" Axew cheered.

Pikachu gave an exasperated smile. "(Yeah, way to go...)" he said.

Scraggy huffed proudly. "(Darn straight,)" he replied.

"... Say, Cilan?" Iris suddenly asked.

Pikachu glanced over in curiosity. He saw Iris fidgeting awkwardly.

"Yes?" Cilan asked.

"Um..." She pressed her fingers together. "I was wondering if... you'd give me a few pointers on cooking?"

Cilan tilted his head. "Hmm? But didn't you say you could cook just fine?"

Iris turned an interesting shade of red. "Y-Yeah, well... I maaaay have been... exaggerating a bit..." She huffed in annoyance. "I don't want the little kid finding out, though, or I'll never hear the end of it!"

Cilan laughed. "Well, I suppose I can provide a few recipe tips! It'll make your dishes taste more delectable than ever! Literally!"

Iris giggled. "Yeah!" She gave him a sassy smirk. "I'm sure it'll be delectable working with you, Cilan."

He beamed at her.

Huffing proudly, she continued. "Sweeter than an apple! Spicier than a curry! Better than..." She paused. "Um..."

Cilan laughed. "You don't need to strain yourself, Iris." He winked at her. "Though imitation is the best form of flattery!"

She gave him an embarrassed smile.

... Huh. Iris sure was trying hard to impress Cilan today. What was the deal with that?

Did she...?

Pikachu shook his head, looking away again. No. That was ridiculous. They were just good friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

... And, even if that _was_ the case, it probably wouldn't last. If one were to ask _him_ , they were better off as friends.

* * *

Later that day, Pikachu was relaxing on the beach when he was suddenly approached by Oshawott. The otter looked a little uncomfortable.

"(Hey, dude!)" he said with a forced smile.

"(Hey...)" Pikachu replied.

"(Me, Snivy and Emolga are gonna have a berry picnic in the woods. Wanna come?)"

Pikachu blinked. "(Huh? Why are you inviting _me_?)"

Oshawott smiled brighter. "(Oh, you know! Good sportsmanship and all that!)" He paused. "(Wait, that's the wrong word.)"

Ah. Staying on good terms, was it?

Pikachu shrugged, offering the otter a smile. "(Yeah, sure. Why not?)"

"(Great! I'll tell Snivy and Emolga!)" He turned on his heel and left. "(Just meet us there whenever, okay? We'll get the berries ready!)"

"(Okay, sure.)" Pikachu blinked. "(Wait, where abouts in the woods?)"

Oshawott stopped and turned to face him. "(Remember that clearing Ash was training in?)"

"(Oh. Yeah?)"

"(Round about there's good!)"

"(Okay, sure.)"

Nodding, Oshawott turned back around and carried on walking.

Heh. A berry picnic, eh? It sounded fun enough.

As long as they didn't eat too much, that is. He wanted room for dinner, after all...


	19. Flavourful Feast

Author's note: Yo, guys and gals!

Not much to say this time, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Peace!

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen** **: Flavourful Feast**

Pikachu began making his way towards the clearing in the woods. He couldn't deny that this berry picnic he'd been invited to sounded interesting. He wondered what berries would be on offer. Hopefully, some good ones.

It didn't matter that he was leaving Ash to his training, because the boy wouldn't notice he was gone, anyway. Not unless he was gone for a particularly long time, and he seriously doubted that would be the case.

He could afford to enjoy a few berries with his friends before dinner time.

... Friends. Well, although he did consider them friends, he didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with two of them. Their lifestyles were not something he approved of. At all.

They did tend to come through for him in a pinch, though. Especially Oshawott. So he couldn't exactly refuse a peace offering. Especially not such a tasty-sounding one.

* * *

When Pikachu eventually reached the clearing, he saw Oshawott, Snivy and Emolga carrying a small pile of berries each. They dumped them one after another onto a pile on the ground.

"(Hey, guys,)" Pikachu said as he approached.

They all looked up. Snivy smiled, Oshawott beamed and Emolga grinned.

"(Heeeey!)" Oshawott replied. "(Glad you could make it!)"

Pikachu stopped beside the otter and looked down at the pile of berries. "(You find some good ones?)"

"(You bet we did~!)" Emolga replied. "(Some really fancy ones around here~!)"

"(No idea what some of them taste like...)" Snivy said, "(so just try 'em and see, I guess.)"

"(Sure,)" Pikachu replied. He looked up at them. "(But let's not eat too many, alright? We need room for dinner.)"

Emolga groaned. "(Man, you're such a killjoy...)" she said.

Snivy rolled her eyes. "(We'll be fine, Pikachu,)" she replied.

"(Yeah, totally fine!)" Oshawott agreed. "(Now let's dig in!)" He paused, then gasped. "(Oh, right!)" He ran between Snivy and Emolga, holding out his arms in curved handle shapes. "(Ladies~?)"

Pikachu gave him a deadpan stare.

Emolga giggled heavily. "(Aw, thank you~!)" she replied, hooking a paw around his arm.

Snivy sighed, rolling her eyes again. "(I can sit _myself_ down, you know...)" she said.

"(I know,)" Oshawott replied, "(but I'm being a _gentleman_.)"

Rolling her eyes yet again, she complied, hooking a hand around his arm. Grinning wider, he helped them both sit down, then plopped himself in-between them.

Pikachu refrained from groaning. It was _very_ tempting, but, like he'd told himself, they were still his friends. Even if their life choices _really_ got on his nerves, sometimes...

No. He was going to have a fun picnic today and nothing would ruin it.

He looked around the pile, wondering which berry to try first. When a pinkish purple one that was gourd-shaped caught his eye, he reached towards it. That was when his eye caught a different berry. One that was round, blue and covered in yellow leaves.

He stared at it. After a few moments, he slowly picked it up, still staring at it.

... Huh. This was the berry he used to float down the river as a kid, wasn't it? Because it had air bubbles or something inside it. It tasted horrible, so he'd watch it float, instead.

Scowling deeply at it, he tossed it back on the pile. Grabbing the gourd-shaped berry, he sunk his teeth into its soft skin, tore off a chunk and chewed it.

He was going to enjoy himself today. No matter what.

... Hmm. Now that he was eating it, the berry didn't actually taste all that bad. It was sweet, with a sour kick to it. He quite liked it.

Looking up, he saw Oshawott trying his best to bite into a blue, almost circular-shaped berry, but its skin seemed to be too hard for him.

Emolga seemed to be enjoying her red, almost bell pepper-shaped berry. Then she suddenly pulled a disgusted face and started making gagging noises.

"(Urgh!)" she cried out. "(Yuck! That is _nasty_!)"

Snivy bit into her own yellow and green, candle-shaped berry. After a moment of chewing, she pulled a disgusted face.

She placed a hand over her mouth. "(Oh...)" she said, "(yuck.)"

Oshawott was still trying to bite through the hard skin on his berry. He growled. "(How do you open this thing?!)" he cried.

Cringing, Snivy shook off the apparently nasty flavour. "(Try smashing it with your scalchop, or something.)"

He looked at her in horror. "(And ruin my beautiful scalchop?!)"

She sighed. "(Alright, just use a rock, instead, then.)"

His face lit up. "(Hey, good idea!)" Getting up, Oshawott dropped the blue berry and ran off to get a rock.

"(Bleh...)" Emolga said, dropping her red berry. She looked at Snivy. "(Yours nasty, too?)"

"(Yeah...)" Snivy replied, dropping the yellow and green berry.

"(What flavour was it?)"

"(A bit sweet and _really_ sour.)"

Emolga perked up in intrigue. "(Ooh! Sounds better than mine!)" She picked up the red berry. "(Spicy... but so bitter!)"

Snivy looked interested. "(Bitter, huh?)"

Emolga grinned cheekily. "(Wanna trade?)"

Snivy blinked, contemplating this. She shrugged. "(Sure.)" Picking up the yellow and green berry, she held it out.

"(Sweet!)" Emolga held the red berry out and they swapped over.

Biting into their new berries, they chewed. After a moment, they looked much happier and much more satisfied.

Snivy glanced in Pikachu's direction. "(How's yours, Pikachu?)"

He gave a light smile back. "(It's nice, thanks,)" he replied.

"(Cool,)" Emolga added with a grin.

"(Alright, I got one!)" Oshawott cried, running back.

Sitting back down, he positioned the rock above the blue berry. With a war cy, he started hammering away at it, trying to crack it open.

Vaguely amused, Pikachu finished his pinkish purple berry. He reached for another one. This one was green and peapod-shaped. Shrugging, he took a bite and chewed.

Hmm. Quite bitter, but had a hint of spiciness. It was okay. He wasn't the biggest fan of food with a strong 'green' flavour, but it was alright.

"(Finally!)" Oshawott cried. "(I got it open!)" Throwing the rock to one side, he picked up the blue berry and buried his face in it. Disgusting slurping noises came from his mouth. Then the otter sighed in content. "(Aww, man, that is goooood! That was _so_ worth the effort!)"

"(Heh,)" Pikachu said, vaguely amused, "(glad you think so.)"

Oshawott continued eating. "(Mrrm-hrrm!)"

"(So, Mr. Grumpy Pants!)" Emolga said, looking at Pikachu with a grin. "(You cheered up now?)"

Pikachu blinked at her. He frowned slightly. "(Hey, I wasn't even all that grumpy today...)" he replied.

"(Truuuue... but we're just making sure~!)"

"(Think of this as making amends,)" Snivy explained. "(Getting back on good terms.)"

Pikachu relaxed his frown. "(Yeah, I know,)" he replied. "(And thanks. The berries are good.)"

Emolga shrugged. "(Well, _sometimes_ they are,)" she said. "(Sometimes, they're garbage.)"

"(Depends on your taste, I guess,)" Snivy added.

"(True that!)" Oshawott agreed. He suddenly gave Pikachu a comforting gaze. "(Seriously, though, man... you've been on edge ever since your girlfriend left.)" He smiled. "(Hope you're feeling better now!)"

Pikachu blinked at him. "(... Girlfriend?)" he asked.

"(Yeah! That cute bunny girl, _obviously_!)"

Pikachu tensed, the green berry halting halfway to his mouth. "(... She's not my girlfriend.)"

"(... Huh?)"

"(What are you talking about?)" Emolga asked, amused. "(We all saw how she snuggled up to you.)"

"(Completely ignoring the rest of us...)" Snivy added, nodding.

"(Yeah!)" Oshawott added, looking mildly offended. "(When I was holding my arms out for a hug and everything!)" He folded his arms and nodded. "(There's no way she's not your girlfriend. Dunno why you're hiding it.)"

Pikachu's grip on his green berry tightened. "(... She's not my girlfriend,)" he repeated.

They all blinked at him, looking stupefied.

"(... Really?)" Emolga asked.

"(Yes.)"

"(But...)" Osahwott said, looking confused, "(but... what?)"

Snivy rolled her eyes. "(Oh, don't tell me you didn't notice she liked you...)" she said.

Something squirmed in the pit of Pikachu's stomach. "(No, I...)" he replied. He found he couldn't continue.

"(Then why aren't you dating?!)" Oshawott asked in disbelief.

Emolga grinned. "(Maybe he's too shy~)" she said teasingly. She smirked at Pikachu. "(Am I right?)"

Pikachu paused a long moment, gathering himself. Eventually, he heaved a sigh through his nostrils in annoyance.

"(... No,)" he replied.

"(Then what's wrong?)" Snivy asked.

"(I say you call her!)" Oshawott said enthusiastically. Pikachu clenched his teeth together angrily. Not noticing, the otter continued. "(Call her up and ask her out! Don't let a cutie like that get away! If it'd been _me_ , I would've snatched her up the _second_ she started nuzzling me!)" Pikachu clenched his teeth harder. "(But she didn't want _me_ , she wanted _you_! And, as a total bro, I say go for it before someone else-)"

"(I already turned her down!)" Pikachu yelled in anger.

They all stared at him in shock.

"(... What?)" Oshawott asked in a quiet voice.

Pikachu huffed air from his nose. "(I already turned her down. She asked me out, I turned her down. End of story.)" He shoved the berry in his mouth, bit down on it and chewed.

"(... _Whaaaaaat_?! What do you mean you turned her down?!)"

Emolga snorted slightly in amusement. "(... What?)" she asked. "(Seriously?)"

Snivy just stared silently at him.

"(Mmm,)" Pikachu replied, sharply nodding his head. He wanted this conversation to end. Now.

Knowing these guys, though...

"( _What_?!)" Oshawott cried. "(So a pretty girl _waltzes_ up to you, _throws herself_ at you... and you _reject her_?!)"

Pikachu harshly swallowed his berry. "( _Yes_ ,)" he replied.

Emolga burst out laughing. "(Aw, man, no way!)" she cried.

"(... Why?)" Snivy asked.

"(Because I didn't wanna date her,)" Pikachu replied simply.

"(Not wanna date her?!)" Oshawott cried. "(How could you not wanna date her?! She was beautiful! I would have never allowed such beauty to get away!)"

Pikachu turned to glare at him. "(Yeah, well, I'm _not_ you, am I?)"

"(What's _that_ supposed to mean?)"

"(Oh, don't go down this road again...)" Snivy groaned.

Emolga wouldn't stop laughing. "(Oh, you screwed up baaaad!)" she said.

Pikachu turned his glare on her, instead.

"(... Though I guess that explains her mood, doesn't it?)" Snivy continued.

"(... Wait,)" Oshawott said. "(You're the one who put her in that funk?!)" Pikachu turned his glare back to Oshawott. The otter was glaring back at him. "(She couldn't use her moves for _ages_ , and it was because of you?!)"

"(Oh, man, you're right...)" Emolga said, finally calming down. "(His one chance to get lucky and he blew it big time.)"

Snivy shook her head sympathetically. "(Did you just not like her that way?)" she asked.

Pikachu huffed, choosing to look away. "(... What does it matter?)" he asked. He quickly finished off the remains of his mediocre berry. "(It's over now, anyway...)"

"(I don't get it!)" Oshawott cried. "(Why would you turn her down?!)"

"(Guess he just ain't into her,)" Emolga replied. She smirked. "(Heck, maybe girls aren't what he's into...)"

Pikachu turned back to glare at her.

Snivy gave a light sigh. "(Either that, or he just didn't like _her_ that way,)" she reasoned.

"(Man...)" Oshawott said with a sigh, "(what a waste... I coulda had her!)"

"(Pity,)" Emolga said, grinning at Pikachu. "(Getting lucky with a girl might've loosened the stick up your butt!)"

Pikachu's frown deepened. "(... I don't _need_ to get lucky with _any_ girl,)" he replied slowly.

She shrugged, turning away to pull a duck face. "(Could've fooled me...)"

"(... I don't get you at all...)" Oshawott muttered.

Hmph. Yeah, of course he wouldn't.

Pikachu turned his glare on the pile of berries, searching for a different one to eat. As he did, he was vaguely reminded of when Meloetta had been around. She and Oshawott had been searching for her favourite berry, hadn't they? What had it been again?

... Oh yeah. Magost berries. He glanced around the pile, looking for them.

Hmm. It didn't look like there were any here. Not that Oshawott would have cared, anyway. He'd said he didn't like the taste of them, right? So, if he bit into one, he'd probably just toss it aside without a second thought.

Randomly grabbing a red berry shaped like a cocoa bean, Pikachu bit into it.

His teeth didn't even make it through the skin.

He growled. Darn it. It was one of those stupid, rock-hard berries that you needed to smash open to eat. He hated those.

In annoyance, he tossed it back onto the pile.

"(... Well, whatever your reason was,)" Snivy said, "(you're free to turn down any girl you like.)"

Pikachu relaxed his frown slightly.

"(I guess...)" Oshawott mumbled, "(though it makes no sense to me.)" He paused, then continued in a pouty voice. "(You coulda let _me_ have her...)"

"(Pfft,)" Pikachu replied, still in mild annoyance. "(Yeah, right...)"

As if he'd hand _any_ girl over to Oshawott when he could barely stay loyal to any of them...

"(Well, it's too late now, I guess!)" Emolga teased. "(Maybe she's moved on and found someone else by now!)"

"(Someone that could've been me...)" Oshawott grumbled.

"(Them's the breaks, I guess! Now, back to the food!)" Emolga picked up the same berry that Pikachu had failed to bite through earlier. She nibbled on it, then pulled a face. "(Man... where's that rock?)"

"(Here, milady~!)" Oshawott cried happily, springing into action.

Taking the berry from her, he placed it in front of him, then picked up his rock. With a grunt, he started smashing it against the berry.

"(Oh, thank you~!)" Emolga said in her simpering manner that ground Pikachu's gears.

Wanting to distract himself, he picked up a yellow and green berry that wasn't quite circular and bit into it. He chewed.

... Hmm. It was actually pretty tasty. Really sweet, with a nice spicy kick. Not bad at all! It was actually helping to improve his mood a bit.

... Still. It was missing something. Maybe a bit more spice?

After a short while, Oshawott finally managed to crack the red berry open. He passed it to Emolga with what was probably supposed to be a gentlemanly bow.

"(Milady~)"

With a beaming smile, Emolga took a bite of the berry. She chewed it quite happily for a few moments, then her eyes widened.

She breathed out. "(Whoo... spicy... Really tasty, but a biiiit too spicy.)" She glanced at Pikachu and smiled. "(Hey, you like spicy food, too, right?)" She held it out. "(Wanna trade?)"

Hmm. Spicy, huh? Despite their differences, Pikachu and Emolga did have similar tastes in food.

He shrugged. "(Sure,)" he replied, deciding it was worth the risk.

They swapped berries.

Meanwhile, Oshawott had picked up a green, oval-shaped berry. Snivy had picked up a blue, seed-shaped berry.

... Huh. Now that Pikachu looked at the blue berry, that was the one he used to kick around the forest as a kid, wasn't it? Because it tasted nasty. Almost as nasty as the bubble-filled one...

As Snivy asked for the rock, only for Oshawott to offer to smash the berry for her, Pikachu felt his mood sour again. Though not because of Oshawott this time...

Shaking it off, he tried to focus on the red berry in his own paws. The one shaped like a cocoa bean.

He bit into it.

After a few moments of chewing, his eyes widened. The most delicious taste imaginable washed over his tongue. It was sweet, but not too sweet, with an intense spicy kick.

Oh, good lord, it was heaven! He swooned as he continued eating it.

"(Oh, that is goooood!)" Emolga said happily. "(Way better than the other one~!)"

"(Wow...)" Snivy muttered, sounding shocked. "(This blue's one's... delicious.)"

There was a loud crunch from Oshawott. He chewed his berry for a few moments, then his eyes lit up in pure joy.

He made a gaspy noise of pleasure. "(... I have found heaven~!)" he said, flopping over onto his back.

Heh. Well, it seemed they'd all found a berry they really liked. That was nice. It had certainly helped lift the gloomy mood.

... If Buneary had been here, he was sure she'd have been happy to eat _all_ of these berries. With her, there was no such thing as a bad flavour, so she'd never kick them around, or float them down the river. She'd probably say it was a waste of good food...

He shook his head again, harder this time. He didn't want to think about that anymore...

Though it was getting more and more difficult each day...


	20. Dramatic Displays

Author's note: Howdy hey!

Now the plot's really rolling, huh? I can hardly believe this fic's hit twenty chapters now! And it's not over yet! Not by a long shot! There are many loose ends still dangling, after all.

So please, enjoy the latest chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty** **: Dramatic Displays**

The next day, Pikachu had found himself another red berry shaped like a cocoa bean. Sitting atop Cilan's table, he savoured the deliciously spicy taste on his tongue as he watched Ash train.

Near Pikachu, Cilan and Iris were poring over a cookbook, as the former tried to teach the latter how to cook. She was nodding along enthusiastically, taking in every word.

Ash was so intensely focused on his training that he hadn't even noticed.

"... Man..." Iris suddenly said in a disgruntled tone, "doesn't Ash _ever_ get sick of training? The little kid's obsessed..."

Cilan chuckled. "Indeed," he replied. "Training does often appear to be the Ash special of the day."

Iris heaved a sigh. "I swear, if it was food, it'd be his _favourite_ food..."

Cilan's eyes lit up at this. He looked awfully proud of her.

Well, Pikachu supposed the chef didn't often find someone to trade food-related similes and metaphors with, so it made sense. Most people had trouble understanding what the heck Cilan was even saying.

As for their comment about Ash, though... Huh. Well, he supposed he'd never thought about it. It was true, though, that Ash had been training a lot more in recent years than he had in the past. Somewhere along the line, he'd picked up a passion for it. So much so that everything else had perhaps played second fiddle to it.

Not that Pikachu could complain, really. Whenever he was training, he gave it his all. Every thought, every action, was about training and nothing else. It gave him focus. It cleared his mind.

It also stopped him from thinking about anything unsavoury.

Silently, he bit into his berry. Speaking of training, maybe he should offer to go next...

* * *

Sitting comfortably on the grass, Buneary smiled up at Absol, who was sitting beside her.

"(And then we bumped into a travelling circus guy!)" she said happily. "(He had this tall hat and a really cool bowtie! Plus, a really funny moustache! It was, like, all thin and long and curly at the ends!)" She laughed. "(Had to glance around for a set of train tracks!)"

Absol chuckled in amusement. "(He sounded fun...)" he replied.

"(Turned out he _was_! All of his pokémon could do the coolest tricks! Like, there was a manectric who could juggle balls... a whismur who could jump through flaming hoops... All sorts of things!)"

"(Wow. Sounded pretty cool. I've never been to Hoenn, myself. I wish I could've seen it.)"

She gave him a look of surprise. "(Really? Didn't Drew catch you there?)"

"(Nah. I come from Kanto.)"

"(Ah.)"

She watched briefly as Pachirisu ran past, happily chasing Skitty. The squirrel didn't seem to be going at top speed, which was probably for the best. Skitty would have stood no chance of getting away, otherwise.

She smiled at how cute they looked.

"Heh," Drew suddenly said, "it seems Absol made a new friend."

"You're right!" May replied excitedly. "Aww, how cute!" She paused a moment, then gasped. "Oh yeah! Dawn, wasn't your buneary the one who liked Ash's pikachu?"

Oof. Right in the chest cavity.

"Yeah!" Dawn replied. "Like I said the first time, Buneary's a big fan. In fact... she's liked him pretty much ever since they first met!"

Ouch.

"Really? That's so sweet! Has he returned the feelings yet?"

Dawn chuckled awkwardly. "You know, I'm not entirely sure! He gets really embarrassed, so it's hard to tell!" Her voice turned serious. "But get this! The last time they met up, when I was over in Unova, she nuzzled him and he was _smiling_!"

"Oh, no way!"

"Yeah! So I'd say no need to worry! Give him time and he's _sure_ to come around!"

... Yep, that was some nice salt in the wound. It hadn't even healed over properly yet.

"(You like Ash's pikachu?)" Absol asked.

Buneary heaved a sigh. "(Yeah...)" she replied, "(though that doesn't matter. Ignore what Dawn says, 'cause it's not happening.)"

Absol's expression turned tender. "(Oh, I'm sorry. Does he not return the feelings?)"

She shook her head. "(Uh-uh...)"

"(Oh. I'm sorry to hear that...)"

"(It's okay. I'll just... have to get over it and move on.)"

"(Well... good luck to you.)"

She gave him a small smile of gratitude. "(Thanks.)"

"Oh, you know..." Dawn suddenly said, "I never thought to ask! Do you dress up for Johto contests?"

"Nah," Drew replied. "It's only Sinnoh that does that."

"Oh. Well, okay then, thanks!" Dawn giggled. "It was so strange, going to Hoenn and not wearing my dress for contests! It's like an unspoken rule in Sinnoh that you dress up for contests! They really don't do it anywhere else?"

"Nope!" May replied. She paused. "Oh, except for Kalos, maybe? Though what they have isn't quite contests, from what I heard."

"Huh. Maybe I should check them out someday. Either way! It's very strange not dressing up."

May giggled. "Yeah, well, it was very weird for _me_ , going to Sinnoh! I had to rush out and buy an outfit when I heard you were supposed to dress up!"

"Oh! That outfit you were wearing! Have you been wearing that in the Sinnoh contests? I haven't been keeping up with the princess of Hoenn since starting my journey."

May laughed. "Well, at first I _was_ wearing it... but then my mom got me a different outfit..." She chuckled awkwardly. "It's really pink and frilly and kinda looks like a tutu. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first..."

"Oh, it sounds adorable!"

"I guess I got used to it after a little while, but it's still a bit weird."

"Well, I think it suits you," Drew said with a smarmy tone.

He yelped in discomfort. Buneary spun her head around to see that May was lightly pinching his nose in annoyance.

Dawn giggled in amusement at the sight. After a few moments, May let go of his nose and turned back to Dawn. Buneary rested back on her arms and decided to watch.

"Say, Dawn..." May said, "will we see your friend from the last Wallace Cup? Uhhhh... Zoey, was it?"

"Yeah," Dawn replied, "and nope. Zoey already has all five ribbons, so I don't think we'll be seeing her there."

"Aww, that's a pity."

"We'll certainly see one of _our_ 'friends', though..." Drew said in distaste.

"Yeah, you said," Dawn replied. "Harley, was it?"

"Yeah."

"Should be fun..." May said, looking exasperated. Then she gave a determined smile. "Either way, let's all do our best in the Wallace Cup, okay?"

"Sure," Drew replied. He flipped his fringe. "Though _I'll_ be the one taking home the aqua ribbon."

"Not if I get to it first, you won't!"

Dawn smirked. "You're _both_ wrong, 'cause it's gonna be mine!" she declared. She smiled in Buneary's direction. "Right, Buneary?"

Buneary beamed back and nodded. "(Yep~!)" she replied.

* * *

The following day went by in a blur. Training, chatting and playing. Buneary was rather excited, as tomorrow would be the day of the Wallace Cup!

Since last year's Wallace Cup had gone so well for them, she was sure it would go just as well _this_ year! Heck, it might be just the boost she needed to be over a certain someone once and for all!

Maybe, anyway. It would certainly help.

Regardless, Dawn seemed to have decided exactly who to use in which round. Buneary wasn't sure when she'd be up, but that didn't matter. She'd leave little details like that to Dawn. She trusted that her trainer knew what she was doing. After all, she'd gotten them through one Wallace Cup and had _almost_ gotten through a Grand Festival! Their _first_ Grand Festival, at that! Dawn was clearly a natural at following her mother's footsteps.

Johanna should be proud of her daughter.

* * *

Finally, it was the day of the Wallace Cup. Their big chance to get the aqua ribbon, which - combined with Dawn's other four ribbons - would grant them entry into the Hoenn Grand Festival. They just had to survive three days of elimination rounds and, then, the prize would be theirs.

Inside her ball, Buneary was psyched. She was _so_ ready for this!

Outside, she could hear the three humans conversing as they stood around in the waiting room.

"I hope Kenny's watching..." Dawn said.

"(Yeah, he better be!)" Piplup replied.

"Hmm?" May asked. "Who's Kenny?"

"He's one of my contest rivals, 'cause I have, like, a million," Dawn replied, chuckling. "He promised he'd watch me on TV and cheer me on, so I hope he does..."

"I'm sure he will! Are you two close?"

"Yeah. We've been friends since we were kids. Kinda sad he's not here with me, but he got all his ribbons already." She laughed awkwardly. "Me? I failed at one too many contests, so now I'm here."

Unfortunately, Buneary had to agree. Their luck hadn't been the best in Hoenn, whereas, in Sinnoh, they'd gotten all five ribbons in plenty of time for the Grand Festival.

"Aww. Well, that's alright! There's still time to make it back before the Grand Festival!"

"Yeah! And I'm gonna make sure I do it!" Dawn paused. "Though, now that I think about it... why are you two here? It's strange that the prince and princess of Hoenn wouldn't have all five ribbons by now." She chuckled sheepishly. "Not to mean any offense, or anything..."

Buneary had to agree there, too. Especially since this year's Wallace Cup was starting much, much later than last year's had.

Honestly, it had come as a lucky lifeline for Dawn's team. Though only if they managed to beat Drew and May, of course. If they didn't, they'd have to trek all the way back to Hoenn and try to win another ribbon.

Not impossible, but not ideal, either.

"Well..." May replied awkwardly, "we got a bit... distracted near the end of Sinnoh."

"Distracted?"

"Yeah..."

"By what?"

"Um..." There was a long pause. "... Maybe now's not the best time for that. I'll explain later, okay? After the appeal round."

"Huh? Well, okay..."

Intriguing! Buneary would be sure to eavesdrop on that later.

"Why, if it isn't May Doll and her boy toy!" a voice suddenly said. It sounded feminine, but oddly masculine at the same time.

"Oh, hey, Harley!" May replied.

"... Hi," Drew replied haughtily.

"Oh, Drew," Harley replied, "are you still mad about me tricking May out of her ribbon in that last contest? To be fair, I needed it more than she did!"

"That's hardly the point..."

"Oh, pshaw! Points only go as far as you make 'em!"

"What does that even mean?"

"Ooh, hello there! Are you a friend of May Doll?"

"Yeah, I'm Dawn!" Dawn replied. "Nice to meet you!"

"(Hi!)" Piplup greeted.

"Nice to meet you, too, honey! But don't think you're getting that aqua ribbon, 'cause it's all mine!"

Dawn chuckled. "We'll see about that," she replied confidently.

Harley's tone suddenly darkened. "Oh, we will..." After a moment, it went back to normal. "Well, I'm off to powder my nose before the appeal round! Tata for now~!"

"Bye, Harley!" May replied.

"Uh, yeah..." Dawn replied, "bye..."

Once Harley's footsteps faded away, Drew sighed. "That guy, I swear..." he grumbled.

* * *

Pikachu heaved a sigh as he sat back against the wall. For the past day, he'd been hounded by a good number of his teammates, all demanding to know the same thing. Had he really rejected Buneary? Why had he rejected Buneary? Did he not like Buneary? It'd been such a pain fending them all off.

None of them had been aggressive, thankfully, but still.

"(Can't believe you told them...)" he grumbled.

"(Hey, it was an accident!)" Oshawott replied, fretting. "(I was talking and it just slipped out! Then word got around and... I'm really sorry.)"

Pikachu heaved another sigh. "(It's alright...)"

He still remembered the face Axew had given him. The little guy had looked so upset that he'd turned down a chance at romance. It almost reminded him of Pachirisu.

... Before the squirrel had started glaring at him, anyway.

Glancing elsewhere, he caught sight of Snivy and Emolga fighting in the distance. Again. It had actually been nice when they'd gotten along for once, but maybe that had been for _his_ benefit.

Who knew what they were fighting over. Something trivial, he was sure.

Shifting his gaze, he saw Ash doing more training, while Cilan and Iris were off to the side, chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, some movement caught Pikachu's attention. Looking up, he saw Cynthia exiting her villa, looking rather excited about something. She wandered over to where Ash was training nearby.

"Hey!" she called out. Everyone in the vicinity looked up at her. "I found something on TV you might be interested in."

"Huh?" Iris asked. "What's that?"

"Whatever it is," Ash replied, "it can wait, 'cause I've got training to do!"

Cilan smiled sheepishly. "Perhaps a new herb every now and then would spice up your dish..." he said.

"Yeah, the one called _life_..." Iris grumbled.

Cynthia chuckled. "Well, feel free _not_ to watch it, I guess..." she said, "though your friend, Dawn, will be in it."

Pikachu's ears perked up.

"Dawn?" Iris asked, her eyes widening.

"Yep. I was channel-flipping and just happened to find the Wallace Cup on television. They're about halfway through the appeal round, if you're interested."

Iris stood up. "Heck yes, I am!" she replied.

"It sounds delightful!" Cilan replied, also standing up.

"Hmm..." Ash replied, thinking about it, "well, I guess it _is_ Dawn. I did ask her to tell me how the Wallace Cup went..."

"Well, you can see it for yourself," Cynthia said, indicating inside the villa with a sweep of her hand.

Ash paused for thought for a few moments, then smiled. "Aww, what the heck. Sure." He looked in Pikachu's direction. "You coming, buddy?"

Pikachu didn't even need to think about his answer. He could feel a burning curiosity flaring up inside him.

He nodded. "(Yeah!)" he replied. Getting up onto all fours, he bolted for the villa.

"Hey, wait up, Pikachu!"

* * *

With everyone sitting comfortably around the television, they began to watch the appeal round for the Johto Wallace Cup.

Just like last time, many different coordinators had entered, though only sixteen would make it to the next round.

Since they were a bit late with watching the appeal round, there was no way to tell if Dawn had already taken her turn or not. Pikachu really hoped that wasn't the case. He kept his eyes glued to the screen, waiting.

As he watched coordinator after coordinator perform, he began to grow antsy. Had they missed it?

His mind began to drift towards Buneary. Had she gotten her moves back? It'd been four weeks since then, so she must have done, right?

Would she be performing in the appeal round? Dawn had often preferred to use Buneary for that, and he could easily see why. Her Ice Beam was perfectly suited to appeal rounds. It was much rarer for Dawn to use her in battle rounds.

"Next up..." the announcer said, "May from Petalburg City in Hoenn!"

Oh? May had entered, too? Well, it wasn't all that surprising, since she'd entered last year's Wallace Cup, too. Back then, she'd been wearing some sort of Arabian Nights-inspired outfit.

When the curtain pulled back to reveal the girl, he barely recognised her for a moment. Her new outfit looked similar to her Hoenn one, but more... girly, he supposed?

She ran onto the stage, tightening the large red ribbon on her head. Letting go of it, and causing it to spring back into place, she threw a pokéball.

"Beautifly!" she called out. "Take the stage!"

Popping out of her pokéball, the butterfly materialised in front of her trainer, flapping her wings to stay airborne.

May continued. "Aerial Ace!"

Surrounding herself in a white glow, Beautifly folded back her wings and shot up towards the ceiling. Arcing back around, she shot downwards, straight into the water surrounding the stage.

Huh. A gutsy move, since flying bugs usually had problems underwater.

The camera altered to show an underwater view, with Beautifly now shooting forwards, leaving a white streak behind her. Perhaps she was going just fast enough for the water not to damage her wings.

"Now, use Psychic!"

Beautifly's eyes glowed light blue. Then the water swirled around her, forming a protective bubble.

Huh. Clever.

"Now, finish it up with Morning Sun!"

Shooting upwards and out of the water with a splash, Beautifly began to glow a faint white. The beams of light shone outside of the bubble, creating rainbows on the water's surface.

Very beautiful.

Pikachu kept watching as more coordinators took their turns, each aiming to impress Wallace, who was on the judges' panel.

"Next up..." the announcer said, "Drew from La Rousse City in Hoenn!"

Pikachu's ears perked up. Drew? Huh. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of that guy for a while.

As soon as his name had been spoken, the crowd roared in joy. The camera panned around to show hordes of fangirls, a lot of which were holding up signs like 'We love you, Drew!', 'You're an ace trainer, Drew!' and 'Marry me, Drew!'

Pikachu even spotted one banner that read 'Mothers for Pokémon'. They were cheering just as loudly as the rest.

Pikachu huffed. He was just as popular as ever, apparently.

Then the curtain pulled back and Drew walked on-stage. The outfit he was wearing looked nothing like the purple, black and green one he used to wear. Now, it was red, white and black.

Flicking his fringe, he threw a pokéball. "Roserade, show 'em what you're made of!" he said.

The three-rosed plant popped out, materialising on the stage. Oh, so she'd evolved? Neat.

Drew continued. "Use Petal Dance!"

Roserade leapt up, until she was above the water. Then she spun around at a rapid speed, releasing a tornado of pink petals that gradually grew outwards, increasing in height and width. Each billowing petal glowed a faint pink.

Eventually, the tornado began to sweep up some of the water, swirling it around with the petals in a spiral pattern.

Huh. An impressive display.

Slowly, Roserade began drifting down towards the water, the tornado of petals and water still swirling around her.

"Grassy Terrain!"

Hmm? Pikachu had never heard of that move.

Roserade began to glow a faint green. Before her feet even touched the water, a green ring shot outwards, creating a grassy platform for her to land on.

"Now, use Stun Spore!"

Landing on the platform, yet still spinning, she lifted up her arms and shot sparkly orange smoke out of her roses. It rose high into the air, enveloping the watery tornado and turning all the pink petals orange. Even their glow turned orange.

"AAAAnd hold!"

Roserade skidded to a stop and posed. The tornado instantly burst apart, showering water, orange petals and sparkles everywhere. The crowd roared.

... Hmph. Show-off.

More coordinators took their turns. Pikachu was beginning to wonder if maybe he really _had_ missed Dawn's performance, after all...

"Next up..." the announcer said, "Harley from Slateport City in Hoenn!"

Pikachu's eyes widened. Harley? Oh, good lord. It'd been a while since he'd seen that guy, too.

When the curtain opened, there he was, in all his fabulous glory as he blew kisses to the crowd. Much like the Hoenn days, he was wearing an outfit inspired by his favourite pokémon, Cacturne. Except... this one looked a lot tighter and skimpier than the one Pikachu remembered...

It was rather similar to Wallace's new outfit, actually. Which was _also_ much tighter and skimpier than his old one...

"Come on out, my darling Ariados!" Harley called out, throwing a pokéball.

The spider burst out of it in a flash of light, materialising on the stage.

Harley continued. "Start us off with Double-Edge!"

Ariados set off running, straight towards the water. Building up speed and momentum, he managed to run perfectly across its surface, almost like a surskit.

Huh. Not bad.

"Now, dazzle the crowd with Shadow Sneak!"

Becoming enshrouded in darkness, Ariados slipped under the water. Some distance away from where he'd entered, back near the stage where Harley was, a pillar of dark energy emerged with a colossal splash.

"Give us a Scary Face, hon!"

Instead of the darkness disappearing, a face appeared on it. Glowing red eyes and a fanged mouth leered directly into the camera.

Pikachu had to suppress a shudder. It looked kind of creepy.

Eventually, the pillar of dark energy rose higher, arcing around and landing on the stage. When it disappeared, Ariados was visible again. Harley waved and blew more kisses at the crowd.

... Well, Pikachu had to give Harley points for creativity.

He continued watching, as more and more coordinators showed off their talents. Eventually, he heaved a sigh. Yep, he must have missed it...

He was considering just giving up and going outside. Maybe doing some training by himself to take his mind off things. Yeah, that sounded good. He stood up from the couch, ready to leave.

"Next up..." the announcer said, "Dawn from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh!"

He froze, his ears springing up. He hadn't missed it?! He hurriedly sat back down again.

The curtain pulled back to reveal the girl in question. She ran forward, throwing a pokéball. "Togekiss, spooootlight!" she called out.

Pikachu's mood deflated. Oh. So she wasn't using Buneary. Well... that was fine. Maybe he'd see Buneary in a future round. The last Wallace Cup had taken place over three days, after all.

When the bird appeared in flash of light, she posed majestically.

Dawn continued. "Okay! Use Air Slash!"

Flying above the water, Togekiss lifted her wing, causing a ball of air to spin at the tip of it. With a graceful twirl, she flung it into the water.

The camera switched to the underwater view, where the ball of air split off into several, smaller balls of air. Arcing around, they began to fly back up.

"Now, use Sky Attack!"

The camera shifted back above water as a white glow surrounded Togekiss. She flew forward at top speed. At the same time, the smaller balls of air had broken through the water's surface, creating pillars of water in a perfect circle. Togekiss weaved in and out of the pillars, expertly avoiding each one.

"Now! Safeguard!"

As Togekiss twirled into the middle of the circle, a large green orb expanded outwards from her body, surrounding her. It continued expanding outwards, until it hit all of the pillars. They dissipated in a shower of sparkles, which rolled down the Safeguard and made it twinkle in the light.

Very pretty, indeed.

* * *

It was no surprise to Pikachu that Dawn, May, Drew and Harley had all gotten through to the next round. Their appeals had been pretty spectacular, after all.

Of course he'd be back on the couch tomorrow to watch the next round. Not to mention, the round after that. He really wanted to see how Dawn would do.

... He couldn't help but wonder, even as he went to bed later that night, if Buneary would be competing.


	21. Shocking Scoop

Author's note: Yo! How's it going, peeps?

A quick note. One of the appeals last chapter has been altered slightly, because _what the heck, man, what do you mean Roserade can't learn Poison Powder?!_ I mean, I guess that one's on me for not checking, but seriously. Look at that thing and tell me it doesn't look like it can learn Poison Powder.

*annoyed huff* So yeah, I changed it to Stun Spore. Same appeal, different colour. Now it's orange, instead of purple. *grumble grumble*

But anyway! Regardless of that, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-one** **: Shocking Scoop**

Back outside the pokémon centre, Buneary was buzzing with adrenaline as she ate her pellets. Though she hadn't seen Togekiss' appeal with her own two eyes, she'd heard the cheering crowd and the positive comments from the judges. Her friend had totally nailed her performance! She'd nailed it straight to the wall like a pro carpenter!

"(A good first day, wasn't it?)" Absol asked from beside her.

She smiled at him. "(Heck yeah!)" she replied. "(I can't wait for _my_ turn!)"

Hopefully, it would be tomorrow! Then she could show the world that she was up there with the winners' crowd! She'd dazzle them all with her confidence! Her fancy footwork! And, of course, her amazing combinations! She'd been working super hard this past week, so she felt more ready than ever to strut her stuff!

"(Yeah...)" Absol looked down at his bowl in contemplation. "(... I know I'll be competing at some point, but... I wonder if it'll be good enough...)"

She beamed in amusement. This guy was so adorably modest!

"(I'm sure you'll do great! Greater than great! The greatest that ever did... great!)"

He looked at her in surprise. "(You really think so?)"

"(Yep! I'm sure of it! You'll blow 'em away!)"

A tiny blush appeared on his face. "(Well... thank you. I appreciate that.)"

"(No problem!)"

"(Are _you_ competing?)" she heard Skitty ask nearby. "(Huh? Huh? Are you?)"

She turned to see the pink cat smiling brightly at Pachirisu, her tail wagging back and forth.

"(Yeah, I think so!)" Pachirisu replied. "(I remember Dawn saying I was. Dunno which round, though!)"

"(Oh, me too! Me too!)" Her tail wagged faster. "(I wanna watch your battle! I'll _force_ my way out of my pokéball and watch your battle!)"

Pachirisu giggled, a bright smile on his face. "(Cool! I should do the same!)"

"(Oh, please do! Please do! I've been training super duper _duper_ hard!)"

Her wagging tail suddenly smacked her in the face. She stared up at it in wonder. After a few seconds passed, she batted at it with her paw. Once. Then twice. Beaming, she started chasing it in a circle.

Pachirisu never stopped giggling.

"Oh, that's right!" Dawn suddenly said from the nearby picnic table. Buneary turned around to eavesdrop. "May, you said you'd tell me what distracted you guys in Sinnoh?"

Curiously, both May and Drew's faces reddened slightly. Ooh, juicy gossip! Of course Buneary wanted to hear this! She listened in intently.

"O-Oh, right..." May replied, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I did say that, so..." She glanced at Drew, but he said nothing. Turning back to Dawn, she continued. "Well... see... we started dating near the end of Sinnoh."

Buneary's eyes bugged in surprise.

Dawn leapt up in shock. "What?! Really?!"

"Yeah. Don't tell anyone, though. We're trying to keep it low-key."

Dawn blinked. "You are?"

"Yeah." May smiled awkwardly. "See, Drew has a lot of fangirls... and I don't know how they'd react if they knew he had a..." She glanced around cautiously. "... You know, a girlfriend."

Drew rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

May chuckled. "Especially someone he's rivals with. I can only imagine the backlash."

"You're exaggerating..." Drew grumbled.

She lightly frowned at him. "I am not!"

"Wow..." Dawn replied, "well... congratulations! Though I'm sorry you feel you have to hide it." She paused. "... Wait..." She gasped. "That's right, you _are_ rivals! And you're dating?!"

May sheepishly put a finger to her lips. "Shh, not so loud..."

"I still don't see the need to hide this..." Drew grumbled.

May turned to him, looking exasperated. "I just said why!" She turned back to Dawn, smiling sheepishly again. "But yeah... we are."

Dawn blinked. "... What's... that like?" she asked.

May blinked back at her. "Huh?"

"Dating your rival, I mean. Has it... caused problems?"

"Oh." Smiling, May sighed. "I guess it has, yeah. Aside from the fangirl problem, there's other things. Like... I thought it'd be fun to share battle strategies, but Drew really didn't like that idea."

"... I guess that makes sense. You're still competing with each other, after all, right?"

"Exactly. So, if we go to a contest, and we both want the same ribbon, only one of us can have it." May's smile turned sheepish again. "Drew beat me in two contests, so he kind of... refused to enter the next two, just so I could get some ribbons..." She glanced away awkwardly. "I won the first one, but then lost the second to Harley..." She sighed again. "We got into a huge fight over it."

Dawn blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I didn't exactly want to be _handed_ the ribbon. I wanted to work for it. Though, at the same time, we didn't wanna compete for it and... it was all one big mess."

"Wow..."

"We almost called it quits and broke up... said it wasn't worth the hassle... but..." She gave a determined smile. "We managed to work past it."

Dawn's eyes widened. "How?"

"See, I... really, really like Drew... and I... really, really like competing with him. So, in the end, I said I want both!"

"Both?"

"Yeah! I wanna be together _and_ I wanna compete! 'Cause competing helps us better each other. Plus, it's exciting! When I realised I was starting to miss that excitement, I told Drew not to hold back anymore!"

Drew gave a proud smirk next to her, yet said nothing.

May beamed. "And, then, it started working out again!"

Dawn blinked, a look of awe on her face. "So... you can compete... and still be happy?"

"Of course! Sure, the road was a bit bumpy for us at first, but it smoothed out! If you like the person enough, then... well, I guess you just have to _make_ it work!"

"I see..." Dawn looked down in contemplation.

Wow. Such a beautiful story of love triumphing over the odds! Or at least heavy affection, whatever. Still! Buneary couldn't help but feel awed by the story.

... That and a little bit jealous.

"Are you okay there, Dawn?" May asked.

"Huh?" Dawn replied, looking up. "Oh, yeah!" She smiled, waving a hand in dismissal. "No need to worry! I just..." She slowly lowered the hand. "Were you guys friends before dating, or...?"

"Hmm? Well, yeah!" May chuckled. "Though it took us a while to get _there_ , too! Drew was a real meanie-pants to me when we met."

"Hmph," Drew replied. "I was not."

She pouted in his direction. "Yes, you were. You were a real jerk."

His response was halfway between a smile and a smirk as he sipped his drink. "Well, maybe a little. Sorry about that."

May was still playfully pouting. "Darn right you're sorry." She turned back to smile at Dawn. "Anyway, yeah. We were friends. Though we weren't always."

"... Could..." Dawn asked slowly, "the same be true for... two rivals who are childhood friends?"

Buneary's ear twitched in intrigue. What was this she was hearing?

"Well... maybe! Why do you ask?"

"'Cause... I have this friend... and I figured out he liked me some time back. I thought on it for a while and realised I liked him, too... but..."

May's eyes lit up in realisation. "Oh, I get it! You're worried about the whole rivals thing, right?"

"Right." Dawn sighed. "He asked me to travel with him, which... pretty much confirmed my suspicions... but I said no. I wanted to cheer Ash on in the league. Plus..."

"The rivals thing."

"Yeah. I thought... 'Is it really a good idea to travel with your rival? Won't it cause problems, like learning each other's strategies and... getting in each other's way? Won't it cause strains in the relationship?' Stuff like that."

May chuckled. "Seems we had the same thoughts on that."

"Apparently!" After a moment, Dawn also chuckled.

"Well, it worked out for _me_ , so maybe it'll work out for _you_! How much do you like this guy, anyway?"

Dawn blushed. "... Quite a bit."

"Then it's fine, isn't it! We found our rhythm, so I'm sure you will, too!"

"You think?"

"Yeah!" May glanced at her boyfriend. "Right, Drew?"

Drew nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "You can be friends and rivals, and still date. We found that out the hard way."

May laughed. "He isn't wrong! It's kinda like advanced friendship!"

Dawn blinked. "Advanced... friendship?" she asked.

"Yeah!"

"We still give it our all in contests," Drew explained.

"Yep, no holds barred!"

"And we found we like it best that way."

"It's like it was before, with us being friends and rivals, but with added benefits!"

Drew huffed. "That you don't like to do in public..."

May hesitated. "Well... you never know with those fangirls..."

With a heavy roll of his eyes, Drew reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. She jumped a foot in the air.

"Drew!" she cried.

He smirked at her. "What?"

Her face was bright red as she scowled at him. "You... You... You're just impossible!"

"Well, you must like it if you're dating me."

She turned away, pouting, and Dawn burst into a fit of giggles at the display.

... Buneary couldn't deny it was cute, but, man, was it ever making her jealous. She turned away, also pouting.

* * *

The following day, Pikachu was seated on the couch of Cynthia's villa, watching the second round of the Johto Wallace Cup. Sitting around him were Ash, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Cynthia and Jervis.

There were only sixteen coordinators left, all of which would have to battle one-on-one to get a spot in the next round, later that day. They also had to use the indoor pool, which was only ever present in a Wallace Cup. It provided an interesting new challenge to coordinators, as they had to create workarounds to their combinations.

Currently, two trainers Pikachu didn't know were putting on an impressive show against one another, using every pool-based advantage they could come up with.

"Wow!" Iris said gleefully. "Contests really bring out the glamour in a pokémon, don't they?"

"(Yeah!)" Axew replied happily. "(They're so pretty!)"

"I agree!" Cilan replied. "They add quite the exotic flavour to a dish already ripe with ingredients!"

Iris groaned. "I can't believe I never knew these things existed..."

Cilan chuckled. "Well, to be fair, Unova was kinda left out of the loop on that one."

Iris paused. "... An ingredient left out of our dishes, you mean?"

He blinked. "Um... wh-why, yes! That's exactly it."

Ash heaved a sigh, resting his chin in his hands. "Aww, man..." he said, "I'm only watching this 'cause of Dawn..." He pulled a tired face. "I'm missing out on so much training..."

Iris groaned again. "Ash, will you give it a rest with the training?!" she snapped.

Cynthia chuckled lightly. "It's good to see you working so hard, Ash," she said, "though it won't do any good to obsess over it."

"I wholeheartedly agree, madam," Jervis said.

"I ain't obsessing..." Ash replied grumpily. "I just wanna get strong, so I can win the Unova League."

"Always with the league with this guy..." Iris grumbled.

Cilan chuckled sheepishly. "Well, a goal is an admirable thing to have!" he said. "Instead of a pasta salad, his dream is to aim high and make a paella!"

"... Huh?" Ash asked.

"He's _saying_ ," Iris said, "that, instead of a simple dish, you always go for the complex one."

Ash stared at her.

She heaved a sigh. "You work your butt off to aim big."

Ash smirked. "Well, of course I do! I ain't gonna be a pokémon master if I sit around all day!"

"Psh!" She smirked back. "Sometimes, I think that's _all_ you care about."

"Is not!"

"Oh yeah? What else do you care about?"

"... Pokémon, of course."

She groaned loudly, while Cynthia and Jervis chuckled to each other.

Pikachu couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping his own lips, though he kept his eyes glued to the screen. He was eager to see Dawn's performance today. The match-ups had said she'd be up against some girl he hadn't recognised, but who was she going to use?

In a regular contest, a coordinator would be limited to only two pokémon. In a Wallace Cup, however, you could use any number up to five, since there were five rounds in total. Quite like the PWT Junior Cup, actually. Grand Festivals were a different story, as they were double battles.

In this case, Dawn had six pokémon to use in five rounds. So... there might be a chance that Buneary would be used in the tournament...

He shook his head. What was he thinking? He shouldn't be getting excited about this. After all, he'd cut ties with her. Told her it wouldn't work between them. Although he'd never wanted to cut ties _completely_ , she hadn't seemed like she'd wanted friendship.

He huffed through his nostrils. Of course she didn't. Of _course_ she didn't want to make it easy and remain friends. So... what? Were they just never going to socialise again? Was that it? Did she want nothing to do with him, unless he indulged in her shallow fantasies?

No. He wouldn't do that. He'd never do that.

... Though he couldn't deny that it hurt, knowing that they might never talk to one another again. Was it really over?

This thought ached away inside of him as he continued to watch the tournament.

Four matches passed by, with coordinators he'd never seen battling for a place in the quarter finals. The humans seemed to be enjoying themselves - as did Axew - and Pikachu himself enjoyed watching contest battles. Coordinators were really talented at doing creative things with a pokémon's moves. It would be a treat getting to see May, Drew and, he supposed, Harley compete again.

But... there was only one coordinator he really wanted to watch.

Just as he thought this, she appeared on-screen. Pikachu excitedly sat up in his seat.

"It's Dawn!" Ash said, sounding just as excited.

"Sweet!" Iris replied. "I can't wait to see her performance!"

"It'll be utterly delectable, I'm sure!" Cilan said. "Truly, a feast for the eyes!"

"Yeah! Though I'm hoping for a full-on buffet!"

"(Heck yeah!)" Axew agreed. "(We're gonna pile our plates high!)"

Ash's stomach grumbled. "Aww, man, you're making me hungry..." he complained.

The camera focused on Dawn's opponent, a girl with long red pigtails that draped all the way down past her waist. Her eyebrows and mouth were furrowed, as if there was an unpleasant smell in the air around her.

She looked really unapproachable.

Enlarging a pokéball, she threw it. "Granbull!" she cried. "Get out here!"

It popped open, and the pink dog materialised by the pool. "(Yeahhhh!)" she cried aggressively. "(Let's do this!)"

Smiling, Dawn brought out her own pokéball. Pressing the button to enlarge it, she threw it across the stage.

"Buneary, spooootlight!" she cried.

Pikachu's eyes bugged. Buneary?! Here?! Now?! So she _was_ competing?!

In a flash of white light, she materialised on-stage. "(Ready and willing to kick some butt!)" she said happily.

"Oh wow, it's Buneary!" Ash said.

"Does that mean she got her moves back?!" Iris asked.

"It must do!" Cilan replied.

"Well, well..." Cynthia said, sounding amused, "how interesting."

"Indeed, madam," Jervis replied.

... No way. She'd really gotten her moves back? That was... great. Really great! It meant that she was happy and stuff, right? So that was good.

Though... it also meant something else, didn't it?

Pikachu shook off the thought and watched intently as the match began.


	22. Beauteous Bout

Author's note: Howdy, y'all!

This chapter took a while to write, coz it was a little bit overwhelming. But VGS2's advice helped me a lot. 'Don't think of it like an obstacle, think of it like a challenge!' Probably paraphrased.

Anyway! In other news...

I'm a bit pouty that no one figured out what outfits May and Drew are wearing in the fic! XP Well, fine, I'll tell you. May's wearing her Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby outfit, and Drew's dressed like the male Ace Trainer from the same game(s). Seriously, have you seen those guys? I could only ever see Drew whenever I battled one. Lol.

Well, with that, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Battling galore, for once! Though don't expect me to do it too often. XD It's hard work.

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two** **: Beauteous Bout**

"Alright, Granbull, Stone Edge!" the girl with long red pigtails called out with a frown.

Granbull glowed white, forming two orbiting rings around herself. When the glow faded, she instead had dozens of sharp rocks orbiting her. Flinging her paws outwards, she sent them hurtling over the pool in Buneary's direction.

Pikachu knew that the rabbit had a decent amount of battling experience - since she'd won the rounds she'd been used in the Sinnoh Wallace Cup and Sinnoh Grand Festival - but she didn't have nearly as much as most of her teammates. Because of her being mostly suited to appeal rounds, that was where Dawn tended to use her.

He was intrigued as to how this would go.

... He also only just realised that Dawn wasn't wearing her usual contest dress. Huh. Well, he supposed it was more of a Sinnoh thing anyway, so it made sense that she wasn't wearing it in Johto, and perhaps even Hoenn.

"Buneary, Bounce!" Dawn called out with a determined smile.

Buneary's feet glowed white, before she bounced into the air.

Pikachu blinked. Since when had Bounce made her feet glow? Had she picked that up from her training?

He was briefly reminded that he hadn't seen her battle at all while she'd been in Unova, and he was also reminded why, but he got distracted by what he saw next. Buneary was jumping across the sharp stones, one after another, never once touching the pointed ends, all while still above the pool. He stared, impressed.

"What in the-?!" the pigtailed girl cried angrily.

"Now jump!" Dawn called out.

Spring-boarding off the last stone, Buneary leapt high into the air. Extending a glowing foot, she fell rapidly toward her opponent.

"Granbull, Dazzling Gleam!"

... Dazzling Gleam? Pikachu had never heard of that move before.

He watched as Granbull's body glowed an intense white. He squinted against it, as did the humans. Buneary, who'd gotten the brunt of the light, shrieked and covered her eyes. It was then that rainbow-coloured beams of light shot out of the glow, striking Buneary in mid-air. She fell straight into the pool with a splash.

Once the glow died down, Pikachu rapidly blinked his eyes. Was Buneary okay?

A smirk appeared on the pigtailed girl's face. "Now, Granbull!" she cried. "Water Pulse!"

Glowing a faint shade of blue, Granbull thrust her paws into the pool. There was a rumbling sound, before the entire middle section of the pool rose up in a swirling pillar of water. A shrieking Buneary was caught inside it.

Pikachu's eyes widened. What a creative use of the pool, and of Water Pulse! Actually, it reminded him a lot of Drew's absol, strangely. How was Buneary going to break free of it, though?

"Now, Stone Edge again!" the pigtailed girl called out.

Glowing once more, Granbull formed the rotating rings. The moment they turned into sharp rocks, she flung them upwards, towards Buneary.

"Buneary, spin!" Dawn called out.

Nodding, Buneary twisted her body around, following the flow of the spiral. When she reached the peak of the pillar, she jumped on top of it.

"Now, Thunderbolt!" Dawn continued.

Pikachu's eyes widened again. Right, Thunderbolt! He'd almost forgotten she had that!

He watched as the fluff around Buneary's waist, and on the tips of her ears, started sparking. Letting both of her ears spring up, she unleashed a bolt of electricity. It looked just like his own as it electrified the entire pillar of water, causing the sharp rocks to bounce harmlessly off it.

The crowd roared as she back-flipped off, all the way back down to her side of the pool, where she gracefully landed and posed. The electrified pillar of water collapsed in front of her, destroying any remaining sparks.

... Wow. So that was what her Thunderbolt looked like.

As the judges and the announcer endlessly praised her performance, so did the humans sitting next to Pikachu on the couch. He could hear Cilan rattling off food terminology, while explaining the effectiveness of Buneary's combination, but then a distant memory crossed his brain, drowning the connoisseur out.

A memory where he'd given Buneary the cold shoulder over her having learned Thunderbolt in the first place.

Seeing it in action, though, made him feel a bit guilty. Perhaps he'd been a bit hasty to assume that she'd learned it purely because of him? It wasn't as if he'd trademarked the move, after all. It just happened to be his signature move. His thing. A move he'd had since Ash had cheated in his youth, using a generator and a waterwheel to help him beat Brock's gym.

Buneary had made the move her own, using it in ways he didn't tend to, since there wasn't much use for flash in gym battles. Had he really been too hasty? Maybe she'd learned the move simply because she'd wanted to, and he'd been a jerk about it...

His ears dipped slightly at the thought.

The pigtailed girl growled, grinding her teeth in annoyance. "Alright, Granbull!" she yelled. "Show 'em a different kind of Stone Edge!"

"(Yeahhhh!)" Granbull replied.

Her fist now glowing white, she punched the ground with all of her might. There was a loud rumbling noise.

After a moment, several stone pillars rose up from the bottom of the pool, forming a set of platforms above it.

... Huh. That had been a creative way of using Stone Edge.

"Now get in there and use Play Rough!" the pigtailed girl yelled.

... Play Rough? Yet another move Pikachu had never heard of? That, plus Dazzling Gleam and Grassy Terrain, must have come from a region he hadn't visited yet.

He watched as both of Granbull's fists glowed pink. Then she hopped across the platforms as fast as she could, heading towards Buneary.

"Buneary!" Dawn called out. "Get in there and use Dizzy Punch!"

The fluff on Buneary's ears glowed rainbow colours as she hopped across the pillars. Meeting Granbull in the middle, she swung one of her ears. Since Granbull was swinging her fist at the same time, they clashed, sending out a shockwave of energy.

"Play Rough _again_!"

Granbull swung her other fist towards Buneary.

"Dizzy Punch!"

Buneary swung her other ear, blocking the attack and creating another shockwave.

The pigtailed girl frowned. "More! Use Play Rough more!"

Granbull wildly swung her fist at Buneary.

"Dodge it!"

Buneary jumped backwards, avoiding the glowing fist, and landed on the pillar behind her.

"Now come back with Dizzy Punch!"

Buneary jumped forwards again, landing on the pillar and punching Granbull square in the jaw. The dog flew backwards, barely landing on the pillar behind her.

"Oh, so we're playing jumping games now? Fine! Granbull, get in there and pummel her with Play Rough!"

Granbull leapt across the gap, aiming for the pillar that Buneary was standing on.

"You do the same with Dizzy Punch!"

As Granbull landed on the pillar, the dog and rabbit exchanged blows.

Pikachu watched for a while as the two fought, jumping back and forth across the pillars, attempting several times to hit each other, then continuing to jump around on the pillars.

He couldn't tear his eyes away. It was just like one of those martial arts movies he'd watched at a pokémon centre once, with the fighters punching and kicking each other on the tips of bamboo sticks.

Next to him, the humans and Axew were going wild with excitement. It truly was a sight to behold.

... Had Buneary always been this strong?

"That's it!" the pigtailed girl yelled angrily. "Dazzling Gleam!"

Halting her attack, Granbull jumped backwards, landed on the pillar behind her and began glowing.

"Watch out!" Dawn cried.

A blinding light engulfed the screen, and Pikachu had to squint to protect his eyesight. Still determined to watch, he saw the entire pool glisten from the light. It was a beautiful appeal that everyone watched in awe. Concerned about Buneary and the points she might lose, he glanced at the rabbit. He was surprised to see that she was covering her eyes with her fluff.

... Clever.

Then came the rainbow-coloured beams of light, which shot towards the rabbit.

"Thunderbolt!" Dawn called out.

Dropping her fluff, Buneary quickly built up electricity in it, then released it. It crashed into the rainbow beams, causing a small explosion of electrical sparks and rainbow-coloured sparkles.

The pigtailed girl let out a cry of rage.

"Now, Buneary!" Dawn continued. "Use Ice Beam on the pool!"

"What?!" the pigtailed girl cried in disbelief.

Leaping up into the air, Buneary formed a light blue ball in front of her mouth, before shooting out a beam of icy cold energy. Moving her head, she spread it across the entirety of the pool, freezing both the water and pillars.

"Granbull, _move_!" the pigtailed girl yelled.

Granbull turned around, frantically hopping from one pillar to the next, eventually making a safe landing by the side of the pool. The dog and her trainer breathed a sigh of relief.

Now the entire pool was covered in ice.

Falling back down, Buneary gracefully landed on one of the icy pillars, twirled around and posed at the camera.

Pikachu couldn't help the smile that curled up at the corner of his mouth. Heh. Show-off.

The pigtailed girl ground her teeth, snarling. "Fire a Water Pulse!"

Granbull formed a swirling ball of water between her paws. Ah, yes. That looked more like the one Pikachu had been used to seeing from Buizel. He watched as the dog fired it upwards, towards Buneary.

"Dodge it!" Dawn called out.

With a short hop, Buneary landed on her rear and slid down the icy pillar, completely avoiding the ball of water. It crashed into the top, breaking off a few chunks of ice.

"Water Pulse until you hit her!"

"Keep dodging!"

Granbull fired off Water Pulse after Water Pulse, while Buneary gracefully slid around on the pool like an ice skater, expertly avoiding every single one. More chunks of ice fell from the surrounding pillars.

The pigtailed girl growled. "Get closer!"

Granbull stepped onto the ice, then immediately slipped. She scrambled to stay upright, firing off another Water Pulse.

"Bounce against the pillars, Buneary!"

Dodging the Water Pulse, Buneary leapt into the air, her feet glowing white. Turning sideways, she kicked outwards, completely destroying one of the pillars. Chunks of rock and ice went flying in Granbull's direction.

"Dodge!"

Granbull ran around in a panic, slipping and sliding as the chunks crashed down around her.

"Again!" Dawn cried as Buneary came in for a landing.

"Oh no, you don't!" the pigtailed girl yelled. "Play Rough on the ice!"

Dawn's eyes widened. "What?"

Granbull stopped in place, her fists glowing pink. With a cry, she pummelled the ice beneath her feet several times. Large cracks crept along it. With a final punch, she leapt off and landed on her side of the pool.

"Buneary, get back!"

Buneary leapt backwards, landing on her own side of the pool. All the ice and rock crumbled, caving in on itself and landing with a splash in the water.

"Alright, Granbull, throw a Stone Edge!"

Granbull glowed white, surrounding herself with two rings of light. When they turned into sharp, orbiting rocks, she flung them at Buneary.

"Bounce across them!"

Her feet glowing white, Buneary leapt across them like stepping stones, much like she'd done at the start of the match.

The pigtailed girl smirked. "Alright, give 'em a Water Pulse!"

Granbull glowed a faint shade of blue, which she'd only done once before. Pikachu's eyes widened.

The dog thrust her paws into the pool, and a rumbling sound followed. As Buneary bounced off the last sharp rock, a tidal wave rose from the pool, heading straight for the rabbit. She was tumbling directly into its path.

Dawn looked panicked for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "Buneary, Ice Beam!"

Forming another light blue ball, Buneary shot out a beam of icy energy, completely freezing the tidal wave in place.

"Oh, come on!" the pigtailed girl yelled angrily.

While she was at it, Buneary also froze the water underneath herself, forming a platform to stand on.

"Now Bounce!" Dawn called out.

Her feet glowing white, Buneary hit the ice and bounced high, doing a forward somersault, before landing on the top of the tidal wave. She slid down it, straight towards Granbull.

"Fire a Water Pulse! Now!"

Forming a swirling ball of water between her paws, Granbull fired it. It travelled up the length of the icy tidal wave.

"Dodge!"

Buneary did a short hop, somersaulting over the Water Pulse.

"Now Bounce!" Dawn continued, pointing dramatically.

Extending her foot, which glowed white, Buneary smashed it directly into Granbull's jaw. The dog flew backwards, hitting the floor and sliding along on her back.

As she stopped sliding, Buneary landed on the floor in front of her.

"Time's up!" the announcer called out.

As Granbull scrambled back to her feet, everyone waited in anticipation for the results.

"And the winner is..." the announcer continued, indicating the large screen behind her, where the points were being displayed.

Pikachu's eyes widened. It was plain as day. There was only one clear winner that he could see.

"Dawn!" the announcer finished.

The humans and Axew celebrated, while the pigtailed girl stomped her foot, recalled Granbull and stormed off-stage. As for Buneary, she hopped around the pool and leapt into Dawn's arms. The two hugged and laughed, clearly very pleased with their victory.

Pikachu couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. It had been a while since he'd seen Buneary so happy, so he was glad that she could have this win. She deserved it for all the training she'd clearly been doing.

Something stabbed at his heart again, reminding him that there was only one reason she'd look so happy after everything that had happened. His smile melted into a slight frown.

... No. He didn't want to ruin the happy mood by thinking about that. Though it was a little hard _not_ to think about it.

She'd... really gotten over him, hadn't she?

... Well... it was better this way, he supposed. This way, the two of them could get on with their lives, and focus on other things. As a result, there'd be a lot less heartbreak.

For both of them.

* * *

Pikachu watched the next three rounds of the Wallace Cup pass by. May battled a boy with side-swept silver hair. The problem was, he wouldn't stop flirting with her the entire match. She looked very uncomfortable as she tried to ignore his remarks. Pikachu frowned, unable to blame her. He seemed incredibly shallow, especially since he occasionally stopped to flirt with other girls up in the audience. A human Oshawott, if he ever saw one.

After a bit of a struggle on May's end, due to her being horribly distracted, her munchlax eventually defeated his seaking.

In the next round, Drew battled a boy with messy blond hair, who wouldn't stop pulling ridiculous poses and calling out even more ridiculous move names. None of which, according to Cynthia and Jervis, were actual move names.

Drew's butterfree made quick work of his shiftry, helped largely by the huge type advantage.

In the final round, Harley battled a girl with long dark blue hair, who was wearing rather boyish clothing. She wore such a serious expression the entire match that Harley joked about her face sticking like that. She was not amused.

After a long battle, his banette eventually defeated her dewott, ending the first set of the battle rounds.

Next to Pikachu on the couch, the humans excitedly talked about the recent set of battles, and how much they were looking forward to the next set.

Pikachu had to agree. It was shaping up to be a pretty lively Wallace Cup!

* * *

After much deliberation by the four judges, the announcer declared the match-ups for the next round.

First up, Dawn would battle Harley. Oh boy. Pikachu couldn't help wonder how that would go, especially since Harley was known for his dirty tricks.

After that, Drew and May would have battles against trainers that Pikachu didn't know, or care to know. He only cared if Drew and May would beat them or not.

... Well, he supposed Buneary's time in the spotlight was over. That was fair enough, though. He'd seen all he needed to see. He'd probably stick around for the other battles, too, but he was satisfied. She really had gotten over him completely, it seemed.

He'd known she would, but...

He shook his head. No. This was good. Of course it was. It was stupid to think otherwise.

Continuing to watch, he saw Dawn emerge again. Harley emerged on the other side, blowing kisses to the crowd.

Pikachu wondered who Dawn would use in this battle. Piplup? Pachirisu? Quilava? Mamoswine? It could be any one of them, really.

Heh. He briefly wondered if Ambipom was watching this, over in Vermillion City in Kanto.

When Dawn and Harley stood on opposite ends of the pool, they each readied a pokéball. One coordinator was smiling, while the other was smirking.

Dawn enlarged her pokéball and threw it. "Buneary, spooootlight!" she called out.

Pikachu's eyes bugged in their sockets. What?! She was using Buneary _again_?

The rabbit materialised on the field. "(Yeah, let's go!)" she said excitedly.

... Okay, now he was _really_ interested in this battle.


End file.
